Kansas City police officer ran red light, caused crash sending two women to hospital
For Zikaya Barfield, it was supposed to be a short drive to her job at a fast food restaurant in Kansas City, on an unseasonably warm February afternoon.
But when Barfield, 22, eased her Chrysler PT Cruiser into the intersection at 39th Street and Euclid Avenue, she collided with a Kansas City police squad car that had run a red traffic light with no siren on.
The police officer, who was trying to chase someone who backed into his car and drove away, was sent off the road by the impact, his car smashing through a fence several yards away.
Barfield and her passenger and best friend, Mikayla Ross, were taken to a hospital for injuries to their hips, legs, jaw and stomach. Ross was five weeks pregnant at the time. Barfield has a 1-year-old child. Neither woman wore seat belts.
The crash disabled Barfield’s car, causing her to lose her job, she said. She never heard from the police department. She said it’s not fair and she should be made whole.
“I think we should get paid for our pain and suffering.” Barfield said. “At least help me get another vehicle because it is his (the officer’s) fault. I don’t have a vehicle. I have a kid that I have to take care of and I can’t get to work and I lost my job because of that.”
Weeks later, the Kansas City Police Department released a report that says the officer, Willis Authorlee, caused the crash. He has not been cited.
Police spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina said all police car crashes are reviewed internally by supervisors. He did not say if Authorlee faced discipline. He said Authorlee was not available for comment.
“Anytime someone is injured in a car crash it is an unfortunate, traumatic experience for all people involved,” he said. “We never intend to cause a crash where people are injured or property is damaged.”
Neither Kansas City police nor the state of Missouri track the number of car crashes caused by police pursuits. Last year, The Star reviewed police chase crashes since 2014, finding at least six innocent bystanders have been killed and others have been grievously injured.
In February 2019, a couple in their 80s were critically injured when Kansas City, Kansas, police started a chase that crossed the state line and ended in Brookside. Police said the chase reached speeds up to 80 mph in densely populated areas.
Months before that, Thomas Colatrella, 32, was on his way to pick up some ice cream for his girlfriend’s children when a motorist fleeing Kansas City police ran a stop sign and hit Colatrella’s car, killing him.
The Kansas City Police Department’s policy says officers should not initiate a pursuit for a traffic violation, DUI or stolen vehicle unless the occupants have been involved in a dangerous felony or there is an immediate danger to others.
Lights, but no siren
Shortly after 4 p.m. on Feb. 17, Officer Authorlee was heading north on U.S. 71, trying to catch a vehicle that had backed into his squad car and refused to stop.
The suspect vehicle exited at 39th Street and crossed the intersection of 39th and Euclid. Authorlee followed, and stopped for a red light, he later told investigators.
Authorlee had been hired by the police department in October 2017 and was assigned to the Metro Patrol Division.
He had started chasing the car after it reportedly hit more than one police vehicle in order to flee officers, according to Becchina, the police spokesman. During the chase, the driver ran a red light.
Officers were told to disregard and were no longer pursuing the vehicle, Becchina said.
But at the intersection, with vehicles traveling east and west on 39th Street, Authorlee activated the flashing emergency lights on his police vehicle to stop traffic.
He entered the intersection and collided with Barfield’s PT Cruiser. After the crash, Barfield saw the police car partially entwined in a fence.
“It was kind of scary with the way he hit us and the way that the car landed,” Barfield said.
Authorlee complained of ringing in his left ear but had no other injuries, police said.
Kansas City police accident investigators concluded that Authorlee caused the collision when he failed to stop or remain stopped for a red traffic light. Authorlee activated the emergency lights but failed to activate the siren, police said.
Under Missouri law, the operator of an emergency vehicle may proceed past a red traffic signal or stop sign, but only after slowing down as may be necessary for safety.
The law allows exemptions only when the driver of the emergency vehicle sounds an audible signal or siren and the emergency lights are activated while in motion.
The police report did not say what happened to the car that Authorlee was chasing.
Since the wreck, Barfield’s PT Cruiser remains parked in the driveway of her home.
“I still can’t get a job because I don’t have a vehicle,” Barfield said. “And now with corona, it is even worse.”
Barfield still suffers pain from her injuries. She has met with a lawyer who told her to get physical therapy. But she has not been able to do that because of the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I feel like I should get all of my stuff replaced because he took that from me, basically.”
