Back in 2022, we reported on a terrifying story out of Colorado, where Yareni Rios-Gonzalez was pulled-over and arrested for a road rage incident where she was brandishing a gun, threatening another driver. She was then handcuffed inside a patrol car and left sitting on the train tracks, when ... WHAMO!
The video was captured on the officers' dashboard cameras.
[Warning: Scary as heck]
You wouldn't expect that someone could survive something like that, but Rios-Gonzalez did ... with 9 broken ribs, a broken arm, and other injuries.
This was our prediction at the end of that story two years ago:
Thank goodness the suspect survived (SOMEHOW??) so the cops can just be fired for incompetence and sued into oblivion rather than going to prison for manslaughter.
So, how'd we do?
Let's start with the officers involved.
The Fort Lupton police officer who placed Rios-Gonzalez in the squad car on the tracks, Jordan Steinke, was not only fired for incompetence, but she was charged with reckless endangerment, third-degree assault, and attempt to commit manslaughter.
Steinke argued during her trial that she didn't notice the location of the railroad tracks despite several warning signs, including one next to where she parked her vehicle.
The officer said she was not fully aware of her surroundings because she was concerned about approaching a suspect who may have a gun. 'You can only divide your attention so much,' Steinke testified.
She was acquitted for the manslaughter charge (ding!) but is serving 30 months of supervised probations with 100 hours of community service for the other two.
I mean that's pretty close on part one!
Let's move on to the inevitable suing them into oblivion part.
Rios-Gonzalez sued both the city of Fort Lupton and town of Platteville, Colorado, since Steinke, who worked for the Fort Lupton police, stuck Rios-Gonzalez in the squad car of Platteville officer Pablo Vasquez (the genius who parked the squad car on the tracks).
The city and town both agreed to settle the case for …
… $8.5 million.
'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 Fort Lupton police department said.
I'm just going to say it: This has to be the most lucrative case of someone being arrested for uncontrolled road rage involving a gun and getting hit by a train.
It's not all a happy ending though.
The city and town are not going to eat the costs directly. Their insurance providers have agreed to pay the settlement.
That means, as impossible as it might seem, we will all be picking up the tab through higher insurance costs.
I'm glad the lady didn't die, but …
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