Advertisement

Horrifying moment train slams into car with woman handcuffed inside

Video footage has been released of the gut-wrenching moment a train slammed into a police car with a handcuffed woman still inside.

An edited portion of body and dashboard-camera footage shows Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, 20, being stopped by officers on September 16 in the evening for a reported road rage confrontation that involved a handgun.

A police officer stopped Ms Rios-Gonzalez’s pickup truck near a train crossing and parked the patrol vehicle on the tracks, in the Fort Lupton area of Colorado.

A woman was hit by a train after being left handcuffed in a police car on train tracks in the Fort Lupton area of Colorado, US. Source: CBS News Colorado via Fort Lupton Police Department
A woman was hit by a train after being left handcuffed in a police car on train tracks in the Fort Lupton area of Colorado, US. Source: CBS News Colorado via Fort Lupton Police Department

She was then handcuffed and taken to the police car on the tracks so that officers could determine if there were any firearms in her car, as well as if anyone else was in the vehicle.

In the video released by the Platteville and Fort Lupton police departments, the 20-year-old appears to go willingly, and acts confused, asking for her phone and where the officers are taking her.

Police appear to take at least 15 seconds to realise a train was coming, with one yelling for his colleague to "stay back" without acknowledging that Ms Rios-Gonzalez was still in the police car.

An officer is then shown turning around a few times near the patrol vehicle before running for cover as the train slams into the car, pushing it several metres down the tracks.

Several seconds later, officers seem to realise that Ms Rios-Gonzalez was still inside and call for medical assistance.

Edited body cam footage then show officers continuing to search the woman's truck for firearms and for her identification a minute after the crash.

The badly damaged front door of the police car smashed by the train. Source: Fort Lupton Police Department
The mangled police car after being hit by the train. Source: Fort Lupton Police Department

'She saw it coming and could hear the horn'

According to Ms Rios-Gonzalez's attorney Paul Wilkinson, “she was trying to get the police officers' attention, screaming at them,” the Denver Post reports.

"She tried unlocking the door. She had her hands behind her back and was frantically trying to unlock the door.

"I don’t think you ever park on a train track. Ever.

"It's unbelievable they [police officers] did something like this."

Yareni Rios-Gonzalez was handcuffed and taken to the police car on the train tracks. Source: Fort Lupton Police Department
Yareni Rios-Gonzalez was handcuffed and taken to the police car on the train tracks. Source: Fort Lupton Police Department

Ms Rios-Gonzalez miraculously survived the ordeal, however she sustained serious injuries.

According to Mr Wilkinson, she was unconscious by the time she arrived at the hospital and suffered a broken arm that required surgery, nine broken ribs, a fractured sternum, and a wound to her back and head.

The Denver Post reported the Platteville police department had placed one of the officers involved on paid administrative leave.

An investigation has been requested by the Fort Lupton Police Command, "which is standard in any incident where an in-custody person suffers serious injury".

"The Fort Lupton Police Department is fully cooperating with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation," they said in a statement.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.