Freight train hits patrol vehicle parked on tracks with woman inside, Platteville police officer on leave

WELD COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is looking into a case out of Platteville involving an officer leaving his patrol car with a woman inside on train tracks, eventually leading to her getting hit by a train.

According to our Denver news partners, a woman was seriously injured on Sept. 15, when a freight train crashed into the police car she was in.

The CBI said the incident began with a report of an alleged road rage incident involving a firearm in Fort Lupton.

According to the CBI, an officer with the Platteville Police Department found the vehicle and stopped it near U.S. 85 and County Road 83. During this stop, 9News reports the vehicle stopped just beyond the tracks while the patrol officer stopped behind it, on the tracks.

From there, two Fort Lupton officers arrived and they conducted a high-risk traffic stop. After detaining the woman for felony menacing, the CBI said she was put in the back of the Platteville police car, which was on the train tracks.

While officers were clearing the woman's vehicle, a northbound train hit the patrol vehicle with the woman inside just after 7:30 p.m.

The 20-year-old woman was taken to a Greeley hospital with serious injuries.

Sunday, the chief of the Platteville Police Department told 9News the officer had been placed on administrative leave.

Now, the CBI is looking into the case involving the injury of someone in police custody.

Additionally, 9News reports that while the CBI investigates the in-custody injuries, Fort Lupton police continue to investigate the original road rage call. Colorado State Patrol is investigating the crash involving the train and the squad car.