Man killed, four hurt in car collision

A man was killed while four others were injured during a vehicular collision along the Dandan main road early yesterday morning. The accident was allegedly caused by a drunk driver.

Department of Public Safety spokesperson Lei Ogumoro said the fatality, Aniceto T. Taitano, 20, sustained a fractured skull and swelling and bleeding in the brain.

Ogumoro said Taitano was brought to the Commonwealth Health Center’s Intensive Care Unit where he was pronounced dead at 8:40am.

Taitano is the second fatality in a vehicular accident in the CNMI this year and the sixth in the past six months. All fatal accidents happened on Saipan.

In yesterday’s accident, Angel M. Palacios, 21, was found at fault and was arrested for reckless driving and driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Palacios had scratches on the face, right arm, and complained of head pain. He was treated at CHC and later released.

The three injured victims were Calvin A. Fitial, 25; Milton K. Minor, 22; and Doming Dela Cruz, 23. The three, along with Taitano, were passengers of Palacios. Fitial was on the front passenger seat while the others were seated inside the pickup truck’s bed.

Ogumoro said that at 3:30am, DPS received a report of an automobile crash along Dandan’s main road in front of Dandan Elementary School. Traffic officers and medics responded to the scene.

Preliminary investigation showed that a black 2008 Mazda SUV being driven by Stephen P. Limes Jr. was heading south on Dandan main road. Palacios, driving a white 1994 Toyota Hilux pickup truck, was heading north on the same road.

Palacios lost control of the pickup truck, which then swerved to the opposite lane and collided with the Mazda SUV.

At the impact, Taitano, Minor, and Dela Cruz were ejected from the truck’s bed into the ground.

Fitial sustained lacerations on the forehead and complained of pain on the left thigh. He was treated at CHC and released.

Minor complained of pain on the right foot and neck. He was also treated and released.

Dela Cruz was admitted to the hospital for further treatment and surgery due to multiple fractures and lacerations to the legs and right arm.

Limes, the driver of the Mazda SUV, was not hurt.

After conducting further investigation, traffic officers learned that Palacios had been drinking alcohol prior to the incident, Ogumoro said .

She said that Palacios agreed to a breathalyzer test and officers determined that his breath alcohol concentration was at .130 percent, above the legal limit of .08.

Traffic officers concluded that Palacios triggered the crash by causing the pickup truck to encroach on the opposite lane and collide with the Mazda SUV.

The pickup truck had extensive damage to the left side, including the front windshield. The Mazda SUV also had extensive damage to the front portion and its left side.

At the time of the accident, the weather was clear and the road surface was dry, Ogumoro said.

“Alcohol was one of the factors in this case; speed has not been ruled out,” she added.

Last Jan. 20, a pedestrian died when two vehicles struck him along Beach Road in front of the Marianas High School in Susupe. The pedestrian was found at fault.

Three persons died and one was seriously injured when a car slammed into a power pole in front of Joeten Kiyu Public Library in Susupe last Nov. 16.

Last Nov. 29, a Korean woman died and her husband was seriously injured when a car they were driving swerved along Beach Road and slammed into a concrete fence of a residential compound in Susupe-Oleai area. Police determined speed and alcohol as factors in the crash. The husband was subsequently arrested and charged.