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3 brothers killed in car crash
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Posted on Jun 25 2012
Deadliest vehicular accident since 2008
By Ferdie de la Torre
Reporter
Reporter
Three brothers died when the pickup truck they were driving swerved and smashed into a makeshift garage along Isa Drive between Capital Hill and Santa Lourdes area Saturday morning.
Police officer Jason Tarkong confirmed yesterday that the fatalities are brothers of Gov. Benigno R. Fitial’s close-in security/driver Police Capt. Jermaine Nekaifes.
Tarkong said he has no information yet on the full names of the victims. There is no information yet whether alcohol and speed were factors in the crash.
He said Capt. Nekaifes was not in the truck when the accident happened.
Tarkong said the preliminary investigation showed that police received a call about a truck that had overturned between Capital Hill and Santa Lourdes area around 11am. Police will release more details of the accident today, Monday.
Acting Department of Public Safety commissioner Ambrosio Ogumoro said yesterday that Sgt. Tom Blas is leading the ongoing investigation.
Saipan Tribune learned that the pickup truck was going to Kagman when it lost control, swerved to the opposite lane, careened into a mound of soil, and then slammed into a makeshift garage. The truck overturned.
Responding police officers and paramedics cut parts of the truck to extricate the victims from the wrecked truck.
Paramedics brought the victims to the Commonwealth Health Center where they were pronounced dead.
Saturday’s incident is the deadliest car crash in the CNMI since November 2008 when a car slammed into a power pole in front of Joeten Kiyu Public Library in Susupe, also killing three people in the vehicle.
In November 2009, a man and his infant son were killed, while seven others were injured, during a three-car collision along Middle Road in Chalan Laulau.
On March 28, 2012, a motorist reportedly suffered a heart attack while driving, causing his vehicle to swerve on Beach Road in Susupe and hit two vehicles that were parked at the Joeten Center compound.
