CBS Colorado
"Was she in there? Oh f---, oh f---" one of the officers could be heard saying in frantic bodycam footage from the scene.
A Colorado woman reached a multi-million dollar settlement from two towns following injuries sustained when arresting officers left her in a patrol car packed on the train tracks, which was then hit by a train.
The incident went down in 2022, when officers responded to a call about an alleged road rage incident involving a firearm. A then-20-year-old Yareni Rios-Gonzalez was detained and placed in the back of cruiser, which was left on the tracks while officers cleared her vehicle as part of the investigation.
It was then that a train struck the patrol car. In bodycam video from the scene, a train whistle is heard while officers search the suspect's vehicle; they then panic as they realize she was still inside the cruiser. "Oh my god she was in there," one officer can be heard saying in the footage, before another exclaimed, "Oh, f--k. Oh, f--k."
Two officers involved -- Officer Jordan Steinke of the Fort Lupton Police Department and Officer Pable Vazquez of the Platteville Police Department -- had formal charges filed against them stemming from the incident.
According to Law&Crime, Rios-Gonzalez reached a settlement for $8.5 million with the towns of Fort Lupton and Platteville this week. Per legal docs via The Denver Post, she suffered injuries including broken ribs, broken and dislocated wrists, a punctured lung, broken leg, amnesia and a traumatic brain injury.
"That amount will be split 50/50 between the City of Fort Lupton and the Town of Platteville," an attorney for the two officers told the outlet. "The settlement will be paid by the insurer for both entities."
Northern News Net
Officers Charged After Woman Detained In Patrol Car On Train Tracks Hit By Train
View Story"The City of Fort Lupton, the Town of Platteville, and Yareni Rios-Gonzalez have reached a voluntary settlement," the City of Fort Lupton added. "This voluntary settlement is to the mutual satisfaction of the parties, recognizes the gravity of this matter, and allows all parties to move forward. The City of Fort Lupton will have no additional comment on the foregoing."
"In consultation with its insurer, the Town of Platteville has decided to settle its claims with Ms. Rios-Gonzalez," Platteville police Chief Carl Dwyer also told the outlet. "Platteville's share of the settlement will be paid by its insurance carrier. This decision was in the best interests of the Town and its citizens given the cost, risk, and expenses of further litigating the case. The Town apologizes to Ms. Rios for what occurred to her in September 2022 and the Department remains committed to providing the best service possible for all who reside, visit and travel through our community."
Following the incident, Rios-Gonzalez pleaded no contest to misdemeanor menacing charges in exchange for community service and a deferred sentence. Steinke was fired from the police department and found guilty of guilty of misdemeanor endangerment and misdemeanor assault; she was given 30 months of supervised probation and 100 hours of public service.
Vazquez, who was also fired, pleaded guilty to one count of reckless endangerment and was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation.
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