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Four tourists sue after vehicle rolled downhill
Four tourists are suing a tour company and its driver for negligence after they were allegedly injured when the driver accelerated a Nissan Pathfinder too fast, causing the vehicle they were on to roll downhill and overturn on Mt. Tapochau last April.
Lu He, Xue Mei Yin, Wen Ming Zeng, and Yemin Zhu, all Chinese nationals, are suing Saipan Travel Inc. and its driver, Zhi Hong Zhu.
The tourists, through William M. Fitzgerald, alleged that they sustained serious and permanent injuries such as broken bones and head injuries. They asked the Superior Court to hold the defendants liable for damages.
Saipan Tribune contacted Saipan Travel yesterday but their president, Tom Liu, refused to comment.
Fitzgerald stated in the complaint that the four tourists participated in activities organized by their travel agent, Saipan Travel. As part of the tour, the four embarked on a sightseeing tour on April 29, 2016, and went up Mt. Tapohau on a Nissan Pathfinder owned by Saipan Travel.
As they were about to leave Mt. Tapochau, Fitzgerald said, Zhu put the vehicle into reverse and then stepped on the accelerator to back up. Fitzgerald said Zhu accelerated too fast, lost control of the vehicle, causing it to careen off the parking area and down a hill.
He said the Nissan Pathfinder rolled down the hill and overturned. When the vehicle stopped, the tourists were thrown out.
Fitzgerald said Saipan Travel is responsible and liable for all actions taken by its driver.
