Riverside police and transportation officials were investigating Sunday the death of a woman who was fatally struck by a Metrolink train moments after pushing a toddler in a stroller out of the way.
Just before 7 p.m., Susan Dibene, of Riverside, was pushing her two and a half year-old daughter Paris Belle in a stroller across the tracks near Mary Street just south of Indiana Avenue as the Eastbound Metrolink 860 approached , according to the Riverside Police Department.
Witnesses said the railroad safety arms came down signaling the train. Dibene, 33, tried to get ahead of it but the stroller became stuck.
"The railroad safety arms came down to indicate a train was coming,'' police Lt. Jaybee Brennan said.
The stroller apparently got caught on the tracks, and Dibene pushed it out of the way just before being hit.
Dibene was going through a divorce and had recently moved to the neighborhood near the location where she was struck. Dibene's estranged husband, Paul Dibene, said he is convinced her actions saved the life of their only child.
Paris was taken to Riverside Community Hospital but was not injured. She was released to her grandmother.
When he asked the toddler about what happened to her mother, the child responded that she remembered her mommy pushed her from the oncoming train.
Paul and Susan had been married for three years and he had primary custody of Paris. Susan Dibene's visitation went from Thursdays at noon to Sunday at 9am.
He said she would often walk to the Circle K store at a strip mall on the north side of the tracks but it was uncharacteristic of her to try and cross while a train was approaching.
Dibene was a florist and grew up in Orange County. She was incredibly talented and creative, Paul Dibene said.
About 60 people on the train, which originated in Oceanside, were shuttled by bus to the end of the line in San Bernardino.
Representatives from Metro Link, BNSF, The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, The Riverside County Coroner and the Riverside Police Department all assisted in the investigation, which is ongoing.
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