A Colorado woman who was seriously injured after the squad car she was being held in was hit by a freight train continues to face charges in the alleged road traffic incident for which she was originally pulled.
Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, 20, suffered nine broken ribs, a broken arm, a fractured sternum and lost several teeth in the September collision, all of which were captured by police bodycams.
Despite this, the Weld County District Attorney plans to charge her with a threatened felony.
Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, 20, was hit by a train while sitting in the back of a police squad car, but she still faces charges in the alleged street rage incident for which she was pulled over
The officers stopped their car on railroad tracks and ordered Rios-Gonzalez to walk towards them
Officers handcuffed 20-year-old Yareni Rios-Gonzalez and placed her in the back of the car
Rios-Gonzalez’s family set up a GoFundMe account to handle their medical bills and lost income
A number of law enforcement agencies were involved while responding to reports of a road traffic incident involving a firearm at Fort Lupton, north of Denver.
At the time of impact, Rios-Gonzalez had been handcuffed and placed in a squad car that was accidentally parked on railroad tracks.
She was ordered out of her vehicle at gunpoint and made to kneel while officers handcuffed her.
It has since come to light that the arresting officer was unaware that he had stopped the vehicle on the tracks, according to police bodycam video.
Sergeant Pablo Vazquez told another officer he thought he cleared the tracks.
In fact, he had parked his car right in the train’s lane.
Officers handcuffed the 20-year-old woman suspected of road rage
In the moments before the train arrived, officers could be seen speaking to the suspect
Suddenly the lights of the train could be seen racing towards the car
More than five minutes later, police, who appeared unaware of the extremely dangerous position they were parked in, could be seen conversing with a suspicious woman.
Out of nowhere, the horn of a train can be heard and its lights are bright. Seconds later, an officer is heard yelling, “Get your car away, stay back!”
But there was no time to react before the train slammed into the police SUV, hurtling it down the tracks with Rios-Gonzalez still seated inside.
No one has been charged in the incident, but one officer has been placed on administrative leave. He said he stopped right behind her truck and focused on her because he was worried about guns.
The mother of two was recently discharged from hospital but is still recovering from her injuries and is unable to work
You can see the train crashing into the patrol car at tremendous speed. This photo was taken a split second before impact
The mother of two survived, although she lost nine broken ribs, a broken arm, a broken sternum and several teeth in the accident
He said the “saving grace” was that the other officer placed Rios-Gonzalez on the side of the vehicle not normally used for people arrested.
Her attorney, Paul Wilkinson, has said he will file a lawsuit against the police.
Rios-Gonzalez, who is married with a two-year-old daughter, was discharged from hospital last month.
“She is bedridden. She can move a little. She also has a broken leg that she was initially unaware of,” Wilkinson told Fox News. “She’s still very, very hurt.”
A previously released video from Vazquez’s body camera shows him and another officer searching the Rios-Gonzalez truck as the train approaches.
Over the rumble of the train, Vazquez repeatedly asks the other officer if Rios-Gonzalez was in the squad car, and she replies, one hand in front of her face, “Oh my god, yes, she was!”
Another police video shows officers climbing as the train approaches and slams into the vehicle.
After the horrific crash, Rios-Gonzalez’s mother set up a GoFundMe page, which has raised nearly $7,500 so far.
She said her daughter would never be the same after the crash.
Rios-Gonzalez cannot eat, dress or shower by himself.
“We are highly blessed and thankful to our Lord that she survived, although it will affect Yareni’s life forever. We need your help to continue Yareni’s medical treatments and help with expenses,” she wrote.