Suits filed in fatal incident
11-year-old killed after state trooper allegedly rammed family van
The mother of an 11-year-old girl who was killed when the vehicle she was riding in was allegedly rammed by a state trooper on the New York State Thruway filed state and federal civil lawsuits against the trooper, New York State Police and the girl’s father.
In December 2020, state Trooper Christopher Baldner pulled over Tristan Goods, who was traveling from Brooklyn to Syracuse with his wife and two young daughters, on the Thruway near Kingston. The traffic stop escalated to a 130 mph pursuit, during which Baldner allegedly rammed Goods’ minivan, leading to the death of 11-year-old Monica Goods.
Monica Goods’ mother, Michelle Surrency, who was not in the vehicle with her daughter, filed state and federal civil lawsuits at the end of April. There are three lawsuits: one against Baldner, another against State Police and one against Monica’s father, Tristan Goods, who was driving the vehicle when the incident happened.
“What’s really important for Michelle and the family is that the criminal prosecution move forward with successful results, and that this trooper is held criminally accountable for the death,” said Surrency’s attorney, Sanford Rubenstein.
Surrency filed a notice of claim, securing the right to file a lawsuit, in March 2021. Rubenstein said the civil lawsuits were filed primarily to protect Surrency’s rights by statute. He said in all likelihood, the civil lawsuits will be put on hold until after the criminal case against Baldner is adjudicated. He was indicted in October on charges of murder and manslaughter in a case being prosecuted by the state attorney general’s office.
The federal lawsuits filed against Baldner allege gross
negligence, assault, wrongful death, battery and violation of Goods’ constitutional rights, among other claims.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Albany, also reveals additional details about the crash that killed Monica Goods.
It alleges Baldner began using profane language and raising his voice after informing
Tristan Goods he had been pulled over for speeding and “displayed an aggressive manner,” berating the father.
Goods allegedly asked Baldner to summon a supervisor, but Baldner instead raised his voice further and continued using profane language, according to the complaint.
The complaint also claims that Baldner violated State Police pursuit policy by ramming the minivan without first getting approval from a supervisor and that the vehicle posed no danger to Baldner or anyone else when he rammed it.
The second time Baldner rammed the minivan, it flipped into the opposite lanes of the Thruway, ejecting Monica Goods, who was then crushed by the tumbling vehicle, according to the lawsuit. Her 12-year-old sister, who was also injured in the crash, was aware at the scene that her sister had died.
The lawsuits also bring up two previously reported incidents, in 2017 and 2019, in which Baldner allegedly rammed vehicles on the Thruway, arguing the State Police exhibited “deliberate indifference” in not addressing the two prior collisions, “emboldening” Baldner to ram vehicles again.
Goods’ death and Baldner’s criminal case are being handled by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office under an executive order signed by former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that gave that office the authority to investigate fatal encounters between police and unarmed civilians.
The indictment of Baldner also includes charges of felony reckless endangerment in relation to the crash that killed Goods and three counts of felony reckless endangerment for the unrelated 2019 collision.
Baldner is out on bail. A trial date has not yet been set, but the next court hearing on the matter is scheduled for May 18.