The Regional Transportation District has quietly resolved a lawsuit from Paul Aguilar, who was hit by an A Line commuter train at Peoria Station in Aurora on June 1, 2023. Aguilar’s complaint said he spent more than three weeks in the hospital and suffered multiple fractures after the collision.
According to The Denver Post, the parties reached a confidential settlement in January, and Denver District Court Judge Mark Bailey formally dismissed the case with prejudice on March 25, 2026. The outlet reports that RTD acknowledged the case was resolved but declined to say anything about what was in the agreement.
The original complaint, filed last year, named Denver Transit Partners and Denver Transit Operators as defendants. It is alleged that a pedestrian warning sign at Peoria Station was blocked from view by another sign and that audio warnings did not clearly distinguish between trains arriving and trains departing. As reported by KDVR (via Yahoo), the suit says Aguilar, who uses a wheelchair, entered the crossing after one train pulled away and was then struck by another train that, according to passengers and the complaint, used the same alarms and signals.
Station Safety Questions And Earlier Signal Trouble
The lawsuit’s claims landed on top of existing worries about signal behavior in the Peoria corridor in June 2023, when RTD’s crossings briefly shifted into a “safe mode” that required workarounds and drew attention from transit watchdogs and internal agency memos. Transit-focused coverage and timeline summaries describe June 2023 SCADA and crossing problems that affected gates and automated warnings near Peoria Station. Greater Denver Transit detailed those system faults and the service changes that followed that month.
What The Dismissal Means
Legally, a dismissal “with prejudice” is a final ruling that generally prevents the plaintiff from bringing the same claim back to court, which means Aguilar’s case is intended to be closed for good. A dismissal of this kind is treated as a final decision, while a dismissal “without prejudice” would allow the case to be refiled. Cornell LII provides that explanation.
The Denver Post notes that RTD confirmed it knew the case had been resolved but again declined to discuss settlement terms, leaving the dollar amount and any operational commitments under wraps. For now, the dismissal closes the lawsuit on paper even as questions about signage, audible warnings, and station procedures linger in the public record.
Aguilar’s attorneys brought the suit in May 2025, and court filings and coverage outlined the injuries he reported and the safety issues he tied to Peoria Station. With the case now dismissed and the settlement details sealed from public view, transit riders and safety advocates will be watching to see whether RTD makes any changes to station signage or alarm protocols in response to the concerns raised in the complaint. KDVR (via Yahoo) documented the original allegations and the injuries described in the lawsuit.
