Colorado Patrol Car Parked On Railroad Tracks With Woman Inside Struck By Train

A Colorado woman was seriously injured when the patrol car she was sitting in was struck by a train.

The incident sounds like a scene from a movie, but it's not. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has provided details of the accident that happened last week in northern Colorado.

Strange, But True

The CBI says it's believed the initial call came in around 7:30 p.m. as an alleged road rage incident involving a gun in Fort Lupton. An officer with the Platteville Police Department located the vehicle and made what was called a "high-risk traffic stop" just past the railroad tracks on US 85 and County Road 38 north of Platteville.  The driver pulled to a stop just past the tracks and the patrol car stopped behind the car - but on the railroad tracks. What happened next sounds too strange to be true.

Train Hits Patrol Car With Woman Inside

A 20-year-old woman, Yareni Rios-Gonzalez of Greeley, was detained by police on suspicion of felony menacing and placed in the back of a Platteville patrol car. Unfortunately, the patrol car was parked on the railroad tracks. While officers were clearing the suspect vehicle as part of the investigation, a northbound train struck the patrol car - with the woman sitting inside.

According to the CBI, the woman was taken to a Greeley hospital with multiple injuries - but is expected to survive.

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Investigation Continues

Several law enforcement agencies are investigating this strange incident:

• The Fort Lupton Police Department is handling the criminal investigation of the incidents leading up to the initial call to police.
• The Colorado State Patrol is investigating the accident involving the train and the patrol car.
• The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is investigating the "Serious Bodily Injury" that occurred to the woman while in police custody.

The Denver Post says a Platteville police officer was placed on paid leave as the investigation into the incident continues.