Posted on 03/21/2021 12:29:26 PM PDT by Impala64ssa
The mother of an 11-year-old Brooklyn girl killed in a crash three days before Christmas during a state trooper’s pursuit has filed papers to sue the state, according to court records obtained by the Daily News.
Lawyers for Michelle Surrency allege state Trooper Christopher Baldner, 40, killed young Monica Goods on Dec. 22 by rear-ending an SUV driven by the child’s dad, Tristin Goods.
The police report, also obtained by The News, confirms Baldner’s vehicle slammed into Goods’ 2017 Dodge Journey, forcing it into a guardrail where it flipped and rolled. Monica was ejected and died at the scene.
Baldner, an 18-year veteran of the force, pulled over the elder Goods for speeding on Interstate 87 about 11:45 p.m. in the upstate town of Ulster. The two argued, and Baldner inexplicably fired pepper spray into Goods’ vehicle, hitting the dad, his girlfriend April, and both Monica and her 12-year-old sister Tristina, the claim states.
In the aftermath of the deadly crash, state troopers, rather than taking the injured Tristina to the hospital, hauled her into their barracks, where she was questioned for hours and her statement recorded without her mom being present, Surrency alleges.
“It was outrageous,” said Surrency, 30. “They questioned her before they informed me what happened. I should have been there. I had to come from New York City to the (barracks) to take my baby to the hospital.”
Tristina sustained head, neck and back injuries in the crash and was also in pain from the pepper spray, the papers claim.
“She watched her sister die,” Surrency said. “She’s in therapy, but she’s going to be traumatized forever.”
Earl Ward, a prominent civil-rights lawyer not involved in the case, said questioning Tristina without a parent raises a big red flag.
“The sister is dead, the father has been assaulted and you bring this young child to the barracks and without any guardian involvement, you question her,” he said. “It borders on illegal and it’s certainly unprofessional and callous. They should have taken her to the hospital and gotten parental consent.”
Surrency’s lawyer, Sanford Rubenstein, said the suit alleging reckless negligence will be filed in the state Court of Claims.
“The filing of this notice is the first step in the journey for justice to hold the state liable in damages for the wrongful actions of the state trooper which resulted in the death of one child and the physical and (psychological) injuries to her sister,” he said.
Goods has not been charged by Ulster County prosecutors nearly three months after the crash. The state Attorney General’s office is investigating Monica’s death.
“I want the attorney general’s office to arrest this officer. He needs to go to jail and not just get a slap on the wrist,” Surrency said. “Me and my children are suffering while he gets to go home to his family. He needs to lose his job and go to jail.”
William Duffy, a spokesman for the State Police, declined to comment. He also declined to release the agency’s written pursuit policy.
“This is an ongoing matter and it would be inappropriate to provide specific details of the investigation at this time,” he said.
Civil rights bingo. George Floyd’s family just got $27 million from the city of Minneapolis. What’s the jackpot gonna be here?
Kind of doubt that the officer used pepper spray “inexplicably” and also doubt whether the decedent was properly restrained in the vehicle.
That’s what I was wondering. Was she belted in?
“Most likely much more to this story.”
There always is, and will be. I’m sure you turned on the bat-signal for every cop-hating Freeper like clockwork, to congregate THEN find out days later there’s more to the story.
So I went back and read the original stories and they vaguely match this claim of death by cop. Not included, in any priginal story is the pepper spray.
The report we are reading here is from a 12 year old who was in the car. Both girls were unbelted. One story says they were asleep in the car so how could she report?
Original story was cop approached the car and the driver took off. Chase ensued, The 2 vehicles collided. Hope there is body cam.
Why would a 12 year old need to be interrogated?
Why was she separated from the adults in the car?
It's obvious that the car was stopped because the trooper pepper sprayed all.
When did the crash happen? surely the trooper didn't pepper spray a deceaded child thrown from the car.
A Dec 28 news article confirms that Tristan Goods, 39, fled a traffic stop after which the vehicle collision occurred and Monica Goods was not wearing a seat belt.
Lack of charges does make this problematic. Add to that questioning the surviving kid. Stupid.
Deceaded???
The bias in this story is....something else, even for a NY rag. It’s needlessly sensationally with an overt narrative in support of the man who was driving.
With respect to questioning the child without her parents present, that might be problematic. I really don’t know what the law is in NY or if the allegation is even true. Given how horrible the rest of the article is, I’m inclined to not believe it.
“Baldner, an 18-year veteran of the force, pulled over the elder Goods for speeding on Interstate 87 about 11:45 p.m. in the upstate town of Ulster. The two argued, and Baldner inexplicably fired pepper spray into Goods’ vehicle, hitting the dad, his girlfriend April”
Sounds like he refused to get out of the car when ordered to do so, and then took off.
Because black people don’t have to do what cops tell them to do. Just whites, Asians and Mexicans.
They have a special exemption from the law. And a chip the size of Texas on their shoulder.
December 28, 2020, New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit has opened an investigation into the death of Monica Goods, who died on December 22, 2020.
Don't yet know why the cop pepper-sprayed the guy, but it's dad's fault his daughter died.
They have a special exemption from the law. And a chip the size of Texas on their shoulder.
That be using Occam's Razor, which is Raciss!
Agree.
She deceaded? what’s that?
They’re always looking for the jackpot and the press.
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