She was handcuffed for a legitimate reason, but how police handled her while in custody is anything but responsible. It could have been a fatal night for Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, 20, who was arrested on September 16 around 7:30 PM outside Platteville, Colorado. The cause of her arrest was a serious one, “felony menacing involving a firearm,” which reportedly occurred outside Fort Lupton. The road rage incident led to Rios-Gonzalez being detained by police, who placed her in a police cruiser as they searched her vehicle, where a casing and a holster were discovered. Yet, the cruiser was parked where it shouldn’t have been, leading to a disturbing crash captured by police bodycam.
The cruiser was left on live rail tracks, and you could probably guess what happened next. A train horn blares and then crashes into the police vehicle with a handcuffed Rios-Gonzalez inside. She reportedly tried to get the officers' attention, but it was too late. She suffered severe injuries but miraculously survived the crash. Now recovering from her injuries, she intends to file a lawsuit against the police department, where one officer is already on administrative leave (via 9News):
As she recovers at home in bed with nine broken ribs, a fractured sternum, and a broken arm and leg, Yareni Rios-Gonzalez’s legal case against police is just beginning.
“She's in a lot of pain. And I think she just realizes there's a long road ahead. And, you know, it's a little daunting,” civil attorney Paul Wilkinson said during an interview with 9NEWS.
[…]
While Gonzalez’s civil case begins, the Weld County District Attorney’s Office has told 9NEWS it is still reviewing a potential criminal case against Rios-Gonzalez for road rage. Charges against her have not been filed.
State investigators with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Colorado State Patrol are also reviewing the incident. 9NEWS legal experts who reviewed the video said officers could face criminal charges in the case.
Before the collision, Fort Lupton and Platteville police were responding to a 911 call about road rage with a gun. A Platteville officer pulled over Rios-Gonzalez at the rail crossing at County Road 36 and U.S. 85.
The Platteville police officer parked his vehicle on the tracks during the stop. Shortly after cuffing Rios-Gonzalez, a Fort Lupton officer placed her in the police cruiser which was then hit by the train.
Of course, we support law and order, along with our brave men and women in law enforcement, but this is beyond baffling regarding keeping a parked vehicle on an active railroad. The crossing signs are right there, and upon her arrest—the onus is on the officers concerning her care. They could have moved the vehicle and then searched Rios-Gonzales’ truck. They could have placed her anywhere but in the parked police vehicle on the tracks.
That’s not to marginalize what Rios-Gonzales allegedly did in a fit of rage—she still needs to answer for that if it occurred, but police could have gotten her killed, and by most accounts, these cops didn’t follow common sense and basic road safety. You have to call out cops when they’re wrong; in this case, they were very much in that territory.