A woman who sued two Colorado cities and three police officers reached an $8.5 million settlement. She was severely injured during a 2022 traffic stop when a train struck the police cruiser in which she was left handcuffed inside. The cruiser was parked on train tracks at the time of the incident. Yareni Rios-Gonzalez will receive equal payments from the cities of Platteville and Fort Lupton. Officers from both cities had responded to a call about a road-rage incident. Rios-Gonzalez had stopped her car just past some train tracks after being pulled over by a Platteville police officer. Police body-camera footage showed the officer parking the patrol vehicle in the middle of the train tracks and two Fort Lupton officers arriving to assist, reports the Washington Post. Rios-Gonzalez was then handcuffed and locked inside the cruiser when a train hurtled toward it.
The settlement money will be paid by the cities’ insurers. Fort Lupton Police Chief William Carnes said the settlement was voluntary and “to the mutual satisfaction” of those involved, adding that it “recognizes the gravity of this matter, and allows all parties to move forward.” Platteville Police Chief Carl Dwyer apologized to Rios-Gonzalez. Two officers were charged in the incident and both were terminated. Jordan Steinke, the Fort Lupton officer who placed Rios-Gonzalez inside the car, was convicted of assault and reckless endangerment in July, and was sentenced in September to supervised probation and community service. Pablo Vazquez, the Platteville officer, pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment in December and was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation, the Associated Press reported.