Police: Streetcar had green light when hit by car at Truman Road

Kansas City police confirmed Friday that a streetcar had a green light at the Truman Road and Main Street intersection when a car smashed into it Thursday evening.

The 6 p.m. wreck happened after the northbound streetcar stopped for a red light at Truman Road then resumed moving north on Main when the light turned green, video taken by the streetcar shows.

Seconds later, the eastbound Nissan Altima driven by Dylan Cline, 18, of Overland Park broadsided the streetcar.

Investigators who reviewed the video said Friday it appeared that Cline ran a red light. Police said they expect to write him a ticket after finishing their investigation.

The impact sent small amounts of debris flying. There were 10 passengers inside the streetcar. The Nissan, which had heavy front-end damage, had five passengers.

No injuries were reported.

Streetcar rider Bob Specht of Kansas City was near the point where the streetcar was T-boned by the car.

“It hit pretty square on the door,” Specht said.

Streetcar Authority officials arrived on the scene even before police, Specht said, to check on passengers and survey the damage. One of the streetcar’s doors was partly caved in.

The Streetcar Authority said it was waiting to learn what the police investigation of the accident found. But after reviewing onboard video from the streetcar, the Streetcar Authority said its operator was not at fault.

Cline told The Star he thought his light was green and was surprised to see the streetcar cross his path. He had come downtown with this girlfriend to see a Tech N9ne concert, he said. Three other people were in the car, which had heavy front-end damage.

“All of us agreed it was a green light,” Cline said. “As far as we’re concerned, it was a green light.”

Streetcar service resumed at 7:45 p.m.

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Police: Streetcar had green light when hit by car at Truman Road."