Lawsuit Alleges New York State Trooper’s Dangerous Maneuver Caused Death of 11-Year-Old Passenger

In December 2020, a police officer chasing a driver who had left the scene of a traffic stop rammed the vehicle in an effort to get the driver to pull over. This caused the vehicle being pursued to roll, resulting in the death of one of the passengers, the driver’s 11-year-old daughter. The driver and father of the victim has recently spoken out for the first time regarding the events of that day, and the victim’s mother is pursuing a lawsuit for the wrongful death of her daughter.

Traffic stop in Ulster County leads to high-speed chase

On December 22, 2020, at 11:40 pm, Tristan Goods was traveling through Ulster, New York, with his wife, April, and his daughters Monica, 11, and Tristina, 12. The family was on their way to visit relatives for the upcoming Christmas holiday when Tristan was pulled over for speeding. Goods explained in an interview with the New York Daily News that State Trooper Christopher Baldner was already irate when he reached Goods’ vehicle. Baldner allegedly screamed, “You were going 100 miles per hour and you shook my car!” Goods explained that it was not his car, but the tractor-trailer in front of him that shook the trooper’s vehicle. Goods said, “I had my hands on the steering wheel. I didn’t get out of the car. I was no threat to him. I asked for a supervisor.”

Baldner persisted in arguing with Goods, demanding to know whether there were “guns or drugs” in the car. When Goods’ wife, April, said that she was tired, Baldner allegedly replied, “I don’t give a s—t if you’re tired.” At one point, Baldner allegedly walked to his vehicle, returned to Goods’ SUV, and, without warning, filled the vehicle with pepper spray, despite knowing that there were two children present. Goods said, “he didn’t warn us he was going to use pepper spray. He didn’t say, ‘Get out of the car,’ or ‘You’re under arrest.’” At that point, Goods said that he instinctively drove off, fearing for his and his family’s lives.

Father is held at gunpoint after daughter is missing after being ejected from vehicle

Photo Source: Monica Goods (News 12 via Yahoo News) When Goods fled the traffic stop, Baldner pursued him. Baldner used his vehicle as a battering ram against Goods’ SUV, striking the rear of the vehicle twice in the span of ten seconds, according to Goods. The second collision caused Goods’ SUV to hit a guardrail, flip, and roll over. After the rollover, Goods attempted to locate his daughter, Monica, who had been thrown from the vehicle in the crash. However, Baldner quickly approached Goods with his gun drawn, again demanding to know whether there were guns or drugs in Goods’ vehicle. Monica Goods died at the scene of the accident. Goods was placed under arrest and watched helplessly from the back of a police cruiser as his daughter’s body was recovered.

New York Attorney General opens investigation into crash

Within days of the crash, New York State Attorney General Letitia James opened an investigation into the incident. Baldner remains on a desk duty assignment as his actions are being investigated. Michelle Surrency, the mother of both Monica and Tristina, has filed a lawsuit based on Monica’s death and the injuries suffered by Tristina in the crash. Surrency shared her grief in a statement about the lawsuit: “I need the attorney general to understand that this officer was completely wrong. There was nothing right about what he did. . . I just want them to understand that this man, he tore my family apart and he gets to go home to his kids every day with no remorse. They hid this man’s name for almost three months. He’s at work, he goes home to his family and we don’t get any justice. It’s not fair. He needs to be convicted. He needs to be fired.”