French train accident kills local woman

Jose Paul Corona

A Huntington Beach resident was killed at a train station on the

border of France and Spain this past Sunday while she took part in a

three-month teaching course.

Dana Staller, 25, was crushed to death when she stepped out of the

wrong door of a train.

Trains in France have doors on each side. Staller stepped onto the

tracks at about 6:10 p.m. She was struck by an oncoming train that did

not stop, officials said.

“She was a wonderful person,” David Staller said of his sister, “She

had a wonderful sense of humor.”

Christine Tyler has known Dana for 20 years. The two have been friends

since kindergarten.

Tyler remembers that her friend never wasted any time.

“The thing that I loved about her the most is that she lived her life

to the fullest,” Tyler said.

Dana Staller graduated from Cal State Long Beach last year with a

liberal-studies degree. She was set to begin student teaching in August

after she returned from her trip, her brother said.

Staller was traveling from the city of Bayonne to Hendaye. She was

with her 21-year-old sister Lisa at the time of the accident.

Tyler said that her friend was enjoying herself in Spain.

“It’s sad that we lost her, but it’s nice to know she was happy while

she was there,” Tyler added.

Dana Staller wanted to learn Spanish so she could have more options

once she began her teaching career, David Staller said.

“She loved to help people,” he said.

Her parents, Louis and Hinda Staller, traveled to Spain on Monday. The

two weren’t able to travel any sooner because they couldn’t find a

flight, David Staller said.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been made. The couple plans on

bringing their daughter’s body back to California for burial.

Their primary concern right now is to reach Lisa and “comfort her,”

David Staller said.

While family and friends know that Dana is gone, it really hasn’t

sunken in yet, Tyler said.

“Dana is not here, so there’s like a pause in our grieving,” she said.

David Staller said that he and his two sisters had a very close

relationship. The three would often spend time together on weekends.

“We have a relationship that most brothers and sisters don’t have,” he

said.

Tyler agreed with him.

“The three were like peas in a pod,” she said.

David Staller said that his sister did her best not to prejudge

anyone.

“She gave everyone a chance,” he said.

The Hendaye-Plage station where the accident occurred was the site of

a similar accident in June of 1998. A 17-year-old girl was killed by an

oncoming train.

France’s train authority, the SNCF, has opened an investigation into

the accident.