Unfinished road work drags 3 agencies to court

Two government agencies and a private firm are being sued by a Saipan couple for allegations of neglect in connection with an unfinished road work in one of Gualo Rai’s secondary streets.

Married couple Alfred and Isabel Taitano has slapped a civil lawsuit against the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation, the Department of Public Works, and Key Point Saipan Limited, for allegedly failing to install final safety touches to a sewer line project that plaintiffs claimed caused them physical injuries and severe emotional trauma.

The Taitanos asserted the cut in the road that the companies allegedly left hanging also brought severe damages to their vehicle when they drove past the area last December 15, 2000.

According to Mr. Taitano, he and his wife were traveling along the said public road in Gualo Rai that CUC and/or KPS had cut into when their 1992 Toyota pick-up slid into a scrap of hollow space that violently shook their truck and caused it to careen out of control.

In a complaint filed before the Superior Court, plaintiffs said the rattling incident nearly drove their vehicle in collision with the telephone pole nearby.

“We could not avoid the hole because the road is so narrow and there’s another van parked on the side, and there was another car passing opposite us. I am very displeased about this,” said Mr. Taitano, during an earlier interview.

After the alleged accident, Mr. and Mrs. Taitano reportedly sought medical assistance for injuries they sustained borne out of the accident.

Complainants alleged that at the time of the accident, the defendants had failed to properly and adequately mark and/or barricade the cut in the road in an appropriate and reasonable manner that would safely warn motorists traveling in that section of the road.

The aggrieved party is then seeking to collect compensation for the alleged emotional trauma they have suffered as a result of the roadway accident, including general, consequential, injury, to personal property, and punitive damages that the court deems just and proper.

This, in addition to other costs and relief as court determines fair.

According to Mr. Taitano, the road hazard is a very pressing safety concern which should be addressed immediately to avoid any fatalities.

The disgruntled Gualo Rai resident added that community leaders should not wait until someone gets hurt to act on this concern.

“It’s a matter of public safety. They should fix this,” he had said earlier.