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Man sues DFEMS officer after vehicle collision
A man and his wife filed a complaint against the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services after one of its employees crashed into their vehicle at a pedestrian stop.
Ricardo and Himaya Saturno, through their lawyer, Bruce Berline, are suing the CNMI and DFEMS employee Paul John Sasamoto following a vehicle collision on July 24, 2019.
Saturno is demanding special damages in an amount to be proven at trial, consequential damages in an amount to be proven in trial, damages for injury to personal property, cost of the suit, and other further relief that the court may award.
According to his lawsuit, Saturno was driving north on Beach Road with his wife in the passenger seat on or about July 24, 2019, at around 2:20pm, and that Sasamoto was following closely behind his vehicle in a government-owned white Nissan Frontier pickup truck.
Saturno then reportedly saw a pedestrian attempting to cross the road, so he came to a slow stop to allow the pedestrian to cross and he turned his hazard lights on. Sasamoto, who was traveling behind Saturno, then allegedly rammed into his vehicle.
Saturno claims that Sasamoto’s manner of driving violated the CNMI’s traffic safety laws and that both he and his wife suffered severe emotional pain and stress.
Furthermore, Saturno’s wife allegedly also felt pain in her right upper back immediately after the collision. She allegedly also suffered painful contusions to her body and experienced general soreness, along with mental distress and anxiety. Their vehicle also suffered significant damage at the back.
