A 20-year-old woman was seriously injured in 'a high-risk traffic stop' after Colorado police put her in the back of a patrol car that was then struck by a train
- A 20-year-old woman sustained serious bodily injuries when the patrol car she was detained in was struck by a train.
- Officers parked the patrol car on the train tracks while investigating an alleged road rage incident.
A woman sustained serious bodily injuries after she was detained in a police car that was struck by a train, Colorado police say.
Officers from the Platteville Police Department pulled the woman over following "an alleged road rage incident involving a firearm in Ft. Lupton" on the evening of September 16, according to a statement from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
"The driver of the vehicle pulled to a stop just past the railroad tracks, with the patrol officer behind the car on the tracks," the CBI statement said.
Two officers conducted "a high-risk traffic stop," detaining the woman in the back of a patrol car "on suspicion of felony menacing."
"While the officers cleared the suspect vehicle as part of the investigation, a train traveling northbound struck the PPD patrol car," according to the statement.
The woman, identified as 20-year-old Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, was taken to Greeley hospital "with multiple injuries and is expected to survive," according to an update from CBI.
In response to the incident, one Platteville officer was placed on paid leave, according to The Denver Post. A spokesperson for Platteville PD did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
The investigation into the crash is being conducted in a "bifurcated manner due to the many elements of the incident," per the CBI statement. According to the agency, CBI is investigating the serious bodily injury while in police custody; Colorado State Patrol is investigating the traffic accident between the train and the patrol car; and the Ft. Lupton Police Department is investigating the initial report of the alleged road rage incident.