The PayPal executive struck and killed by a California train last week suffered from depression and bipolar II disorder his family said.
Eric Salvatierra, 39, vice president of customer advocacy and operational excellence, was standing on the tracks of a Caltrain commuter train Friday morning when hit.
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office has not ruled the fatality as an accident or suicide while they investigate why he was on the tracks.
Depression: Eric Salvatierra, a vice president of PayPal, whose company is owned by eBay, had battled bipolar II disorder before he was killed Friday morning by a commuter train in California
The family of Mr Salvatierra, who leaves behind a wife, Meredith Ackley, and three daughters, aged three, eight and 10, released a statement saying he was diagnosed with the mental illness last summer.
'In the past eight months, Eric and Meredith worked tirelessly with mental health professionals to get him through his illness,' the statement obtained by Mercury News read. 'In the end, he lost his fight with this debilitating disease.'
Individuals who suffer from Bipolar II disorder, experience moods cycling between highs and lows while also suffering from episodes of depression that can last weeks, months and in some rare cases, years.
Differing from Bipolar I, those with the second never reach full-on mania while in their high moods.
Support: The family of Mr Salvatierra which includes his wife, Meredith Ackley (pictured), and three daughters, say they have come forward with his disorder in support of others who may be suffering from the same
Between these emotional cycles it's common for those with the disorder to live normal lives.
'Eric's family has decided to be forthcoming about his illness to support others who are suffering, and also to help abolish the stigma associated with mental illness,' the family's statement read.
Friends and relatives have called him a doting dad, and the family was active in the community of the Universalist Unitarian Church they attended.
With his wife, who works in philanthropy serving on several boards in education within the San Francisco Bay area, the couple of more than 20 years moved from New York City to California in 1998 where he joined eBay which owns PayPal, the online payment service.
Investigation: Mr Salvatierra, 39, was standing on the train's tracks when struck prompting an investigation which has yet to rule his death as a suicide or accident
He had worked for PayPal for the last five years.
'For me and to all of us, this is just an incredible, unexpected loss,' said his uncle, Oscar Salvatierra speaking to Mercury News.
'He was an individual who you would never see visibly upset,' he said. 'I was proud of how he lived life.'
In another unusual wrinkle in the case, Mr Salvatierra was standing on the tracks with his bike when struck, Caltrain officials report.
That said, the statistics stick with self harm, as 13 of the 16 deaths that occurred on Caltrain tracks in 2011 were confirmed suicides. Mr Salvatierra's is the fourth death so far this year.
In Mr Salvatierra's earlier years, he worked for Goldman Sachs in New York and graduated from Georgetown summa cum laude and rowed on the crew team.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced while family are reportedly arriving in Phoenix where Mr Salvatierra grew up.
His family asks that donations be made in his name to the National Alliance on Mental Illness or Kara, a nonprofit grief support organization
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2114223/PayPal-vice-president-killed-commuter-train-suffered-depression.html#ixzz1p1dqwLbF
