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Bus driver in crash has numerous traffic cases
Fernando C. Estella, the driver of a tour bus that rammed a van being driven by Saipan Tribune sportswriter Jonathan Perez, had numerous prior traffic offenses and two criminal cases, according to court documents.
Perez, 38, survived the serious vehicular accident with a fractured left clavicle and bruises on the left side of his face.
Estella, 35, of Tasi Tours, was issued traffic citations for failure to yield and other violation.
According to court documents obtained by Saipan Tribune last week, Estella had four cases of violating speed limits from 2001 to 2003. He also had three cases of reckless driving from 2005 to 2015. All were dismissed except one reckless driving case, which is still pending.
From 2000 to 2014, Estella had 15 various cases of traffic offences—expired car registration, soliciting rides, not having safety belts on passenger, not obeying traffic signs, violating traffic signals, noisy mufflers, car safety inspection, and overtaking on the left. Most of the cases were already disposed, while others were dismissed and in one case he was given a written warning.
In his criminal cases, Estella had one theft case in 2009 and one assault with a dangerous weapon in 2012. Both cases were dismissed without prejudice. It means that the government may re-file the cases in the future.
Estella had four small claims cases from 2004 to 2008. All were also disposed of. He had two civil cases for breach of contract and damages in 2007 and 2010. The 2007 case was disposed, while in the 2010 civil matter, the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest on Nov. 7, 2013, according to court papers.
The tourist bus driven by Estella rammed Perez’s 2005 Mazda MPV van along Chalan Pale Arnold traffic lights in front of Bank of Hawaii in Garapan/Puerto Rico in the afternoon of July 31, 2015.
The bus dragged the van, causing it to spin and fall into a ditch about 4 feet deep on the shoulder of the road. Medics brought Perez to the hospital.
Asked by a traffic investigator what was his speed at that time, Estella replied that the bus speedometer was broken, according to a police report.
