'One of the best aunties in the world': Family remembers woman struck by train in southeast Edmonton

EDMONTON -

The family of a 34-year-old woman who died after being struck and killed by a train in southeast Edmonton is searching for answers about what exactly happened last week.

On Oct. 26, Kristina Prado was walking from her home in Maple Crest to the daycare she worked at when she was struck by a train at the CN railway tracks along Maple Road NW and between 12 and 8 Streets NW.

Elaine Prado, Kristina’s sister-in-law, recounted that fateful morning to CTV News Edmonton and how Kristina never made her 7:30 a.m. shift.

Her sister-in-law recalls sitting in her car as she waited for the long line of traffic stuck behind the train to move. She even took a video to send to Kristina.

“(I was) thinking of sending it to her because I thought in my mind,” Elanie said, “She’s really at work.”

Kristina was rushed to the University of Alberta Hospital and despite her doctor’s early hopes of a recovery, she passed away from her injuries the following day.

Elaine described Kristina as a loving and compassionate person who was, “one of the best aunties in the world.” Kristina took care of Elaine’s two children and aspired to return to work as a registered nurse in Canada.

“She’s the one who was with my boys after school,” Elaine added. “Technically, she is the second mom of my two boys.

“Kristina’s loss has had a big impact on our family and especially her family back home.”

The rest of Kristina’s family is in the Philippines. She had been recently granted permanent residency in Canada and had planned to finally visit her family for the first time in more than six years.

Now, Elaine says, her family will accompany Kristina’s remains back to her homeland for a funeral and burial. A GoFundMe to support the costs of her funeral has raised more than $9,100. 

“That single morning, just seconds, changed everything,” Elaine said. “For so long she waited for her residency.”

While the train crossing has arms blocking vehicle traffic, Elaine hopes the railway crossing receives upgrades to ensure the sidewalk is blocked when a train passes through.

As the initial shock of the news of the incident has worn off, Elaine says her family hopes to find out what took place that fateful day.

She knows that Kristina was not wearing her earphones or listening to music distracting her from the sound of an oncoming train.

“Her AirPods are inside her backpack when we opened it,” Elaine said.

 “(Kristina) is a really cautious person,” Elaine told CTV News. “We have a lot of questions.

“We are still waiting for answers.”