Civil lawsuits against trooper accused of causing fatal wreck begin

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(MHNN.com file photo)

KINGSTON – The mother of an 11-year-old girl who was killed when the vehicle she was riding in was rammed by a state trooper on the New York State Thruway, has filed a civil lawsuit against Trooper Christopher Baldner and the New York State Police.

A similar federal lawsuit is also expected to be filed by the child’s mother, Michele Surrency, for the death of her daughter, Monica Goods.

Trooper Baldner was also indicted on murder charges in October of 2021 for his actions that caused the December 2020 wreck and the child’s death.  The New York State Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the criminal case against Baldner.  He has been suspended without pay after being indicted. The criminal case is scheduled to continue with a hearing in May.  The attorney general noted that Trooper Baldner committed a similar type of ramming in September of 2019.

According to State Attorney General Letitia James, “On December 22, 2020, at approximately 11:40 p.m., Tristan Goods was driving in the northbound lane of the New York State Thruway with his wife and two daughters, aged 11 and 12, on the way to visit family for Christmas. Near mile marker 92, in Ulster County, Trooper Baldner stopped the Goods family car for traveling at a high rate of speed. During the stop, Baldner deployed pepper spray into the interior of the car and Mr. Goods sped away.”

The pursuit reached speeds of nearly 130 mph and Baldner twice rammed his police vehicle into the rear of the Goods car. Upon the second strike, the Goods car flipped over several times and came to rest upside down. The impact ejected Monica Goods, and she died at the scene.

The child’s mother is also suing the driver of the SUV and the child’s father, Tristin Goods, and his wife April.

Mr. Goods has filed a federal lawsuit against Trooper Baldner, 43, who resides in Greene County.




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