After cops unwittingly left a woman handcuffed and locked in a squad car parked on train tracks. Shockingly, they also failed to notice an oncoming freight train. I think this was posted here at the time and remember seeing it but I couldn't find the thread.
She suffered brain injuries, a fractured sternum, 9 broken ribs, a broken arm, a broken leg, and other injuries.
Released dash and bodycam video (arrest happens at about 3:15, and train comes in about 2 minutes after):
You can clearly tell the cruiser is parked on the tracks in the middle of a train crossing. The first train horn can be heard about 20 seconds before impacting the vehicle, and the officers take absolutely no notice until it's way too late.
I'm a little shocked they were actually prosecuted, though a couple of misdemeanors and probation seem a little light for leaving someone helpless in the face of an oncoming train. This is at least close to what should happen when you aren't responsible for someone in your custody and they're hurt, though.
Steinke, who made the arrest and put Rios in Vasquez's patrol car, claimed she didn't know it was parked on the tracks because it was too dark. Nevermind the fact that the tracks and railroad signs were very clearly visible as she walked up and were clearly illuminated by the cruiser's lights and the headlights of other vehicles as she placed Rios in the cruiser in her body cam footage and another vehicle's dash cam footage. Not in the linked article, but she was also charged with attempted manslaughter, which is basically attempted murder with how Colorado mixes the two, but the judge in her bench trial let her off. He also considered giving her jail time but, inexplicably to me, decided that this level of weapons grade incompetence didn't justify it.
Vasquez, who parked on the tracks to begin with, probably shouldn't even have been a cop, much less a sergeant. He was labeled as incompetent and reckless at his previous department.
Quote:
A Colorado woman who suffered a traumatic brain injury when a freight train struck the cop car she was handcuffed inside has been awarded $8.5 million after settling a lawsuit against the officers and their departments.
Horrifying video footage had captured the moment Yareni Rios was detained in a cop car parked on tracks in Platteville in September 2022 with the officers seemingly oblivious to a fast-approaching locomotive repeatedly blaring its horn.
Finally, a female officer notices, gasping, "Oh my God, oh my God!"
Another officer yells, "Stay back!" while moving away from the squad vehicle which gets slammed by the Union Pacific freight train.
She suffered brain injuries, a fractured sternum, 9 broken ribs, a broken arm, a broken leg, and other injuries.
Released dash and bodycam video (arrest happens at about 3:15, and train comes in about 2 minutes after):
You can clearly tell the cruiser is parked on the tracks in the middle of a train crossing. The first train horn can be heard about 20 seconds before impacting the vehicle, and the officers take absolutely no notice until it's way too late.
I'm a little shocked they were actually prosecuted, though a couple of misdemeanors and probation seem a little light for leaving someone helpless in the face of an oncoming train. This is at least close to what should happen when you aren't responsible for someone in your custody and they're hurt, though.
Quote:
Two of those named in the lawsuit Platteville police Sgt. Pablo Vasquez and Fort Lupton Police Officer Jordan Steinke were fired from their jobs and criminally charged following the crash.
Vasquez pleaded guilty in December to one count of reckless endangerment and was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation.
Steinke was convicted of reckless endangerment and assault, both misdemeanors, in 2023.
She was sentenced to 30 months of supervised probation and was required to complete 100 hours of community service.
Steinke, who made the arrest and put Rios in Vasquez's patrol car, claimed she didn't know it was parked on the tracks because it was too dark. Nevermind the fact that the tracks and railroad signs were very clearly visible as she walked up and were clearly illuminated by the cruiser's lights and the headlights of other vehicles as she placed Rios in the cruiser in her body cam footage and another vehicle's dash cam footage. Not in the linked article, but she was also charged with attempted manslaughter, which is basically attempted murder with how Colorado mixes the two, but the judge in her bench trial let her off. He also considered giving her jail time but, inexplicably to me, decided that this level of weapons grade incompetence didn't justify it.
Vasquez, who parked on the tracks to begin with, probably shouldn't even have been a cop, much less a sergeant. He was labeled as incompetent and reckless at his previous department.