Streetcar Suffers First Collision
Driver opens car door right in front of approaching streetcar; no one hurt.
A streetcar passing the location of the collision. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
The Hop, Milwaukee’s soon-to-launch streetcar system, suffered its first collision this morning. No one was injured and only minor damage occurred to the vehicles involved.
One of the five streetcar vehicles was operating on the route as part of final testing when it was struck by a car door. The driver of an otherwise legally-parked car opened his car door directly in front of the streetcar heading southbound on N. Jackson St.
Wisconsin State Statute 346.94 section 20 subsection A places the driver of the motor vehicle at fault. It reads: “No person may open any door of a motor vehicle located on a highway without first taking due precaution to ensure that his or her act will not interfere with the movement of traffic or endanger any other person or vehicle.”
A representative of the Milwaukee Police Department confirms that an officer was dispatched to the scene at 8:45 a.m., but no citations were issued. The incident occurred in front of the Juneau Village Towers apartment complex at 1029 N. Jackson near E. Juneau Ave.
Representatives of The Hop issued a statement following the collision: “This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of proper parking along the streetcar route. Vehicles must always be parked completely inside the striping on the road, and motorists should always use caution when opening doors as bicycles, buses, cars, trucks or streetcars could be approaching from behind. For more information on how to share the road with The Hop, visit www.thehopmke.com/hopsmart.”
The public will get their first chance to hop aboard The Hop on November 2nd. The city will host a three-day streetcar event dubbed the “Grand Hop-ening” centered around Cathedral Square Park.
Rides on the system will be free through at least next November 2019 courtesy of a $10-million, 12-year sponsorship agreement with Potawatomi Hotel and Casino. No tickets will be required to ride; riders can simply get on the vehicles at any of the stations.
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More about the Milwaukee Streetcar
For more project details, including the project timeline, financing, route and possible extensions, see our extensive past coverage.
- Council Kills Streetcar’s ‘Festivals Line’ - Jeramey Jannene - Jul 31st, 2024
- Streetcar Will Use Festivals-Oriented Route Through Summer - Jeramey Jannene - Jul 9th, 2024
- The Hop’s Lines Will Merge For Easier Summerfest Service - Jeramey Jannene - May 30th, 2024
- Streetcar Begins Daily Service To The Couture, BRT Will Soon Follow - Jeramey Jannene - Apr 11th, 2024
- Milwaukee’s Three Streetcar Extensions Need Mayoral Direction - Jeramey Jannene - Nov 8th, 2023
- Transportation: Streetcar Extension Opens Sunday - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 28th, 2023
- Ride Along On Streetcar Extension Before It Opens - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 11th, 2023
- Lakefront Streetcar Extension Opens October 29 - Jeramey Jannene - Aug 22nd, 2023
- Streetcar Ridership Has Climbed For 27 Straight Months Year-Over-Year - Jeramey Jannene - Jul 28th, 2023
- Transportation: Harley-Davidson Is New Streetcar Sponsor - Jeramey Jannene - Jul 7th, 2023
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love the phrasing “when it was struck by a car door” instead of putting the agency on the streetcar, which by design, is very predictable in its actions: to go in a straight line.
Also would like to know if the driver was cited as he did break the law.
Montavious, No, No, No!! To get the true facts on this horrible event, you must read the comments by the watchdogs at JS Online. There are still many unanswered questions, but, based on the JS Online comments, it seems clear that the careening and out-of-control streetcar crashed into the victim’s car, killing him instantaneously and depriving Milwaukee of a community leader on his way to perform his Christian-based charity work for the little children.
Parts of the story are still unfolding, and I would watch the JS Online comments section for breaking news on this matter of vital importance.. Here is what is suspected, but unconfirmed at this point: (1) There are reports that they cut corners on the streetcar’s braking system, adapting brakes from 1958 Ramblers that had been stored at the defunct AMC Kenosha plant. (unconfirmed at this point). (2) The reports that the motorman on the streetcar had recently been paroled by a liberal judge after serving six months of multiple life sentences as a serial killer and multiple convictions for vehicular homicide may be exaggerated. (3) The reports that an enraged Mayor Barrett spotted the motorist wearing a MAGA cap and ordered the hit from his office in City Hall, and that there are audio tapes with the mayor shouting “Take him out!” have also not been confirmed. The JS Online watchdog group will follow these leads, but, for now, their only comment is that “they could be true, right?”
Thank God that the open car door was struck by a streetcar rather than by a bicycle. Reminder: check your mirrors before opening your car door.
Oh, Frank….I needed that! Thank you.
Midthun: Wait!! It’s getting worse. According to sources, we are deep into cover up mode now. Verifiable fact: last night (Oct 11, 7:50 pm), the streetcar slowly approached the crash site, and a group of little green men alighted and began to sanitize the site of clues. They were wearing polo shirts with Democratic National Committee and Black Lives Matter logos. Just as they were starting to destroy evidence, a white patriot wearing a MAGA cap and a tee-shirt from the newly formed Free Usfrom Car Killers organization emerged from his Thursday night Bund meeting. He saw what was happening and shouted, “Get out of here you liberal space bastards,” sending the little men scurrying back to the streetcar, which sped off into the night.
City Hall, reeling from the charges that the Mayor had ordered the hit, denied any connection to the crash or the cover-up. The mayoral spokeswoman, wearing the now-mandatory Jesus was a Republican super-sized Laura Ingraham crucifix (a steal at $19.95 plus shipping and handling) said that there was no collusion and the the little green men were a bunch of “third-rate space aliens” with no connection to City Hall.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Scott Walker will hold a rally at the site of the disaster to honor the first responders and the forces of law and order who prevented the loss of many more lives in the crash. Trump and Walker will hand out paper towels and bratwursts, and David Clarke will rally the African-American community in the absence of Kanye, who had a scheduling conflict.