HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Guam Police Department’s Highway Patrol Division is investigating a four-car collision that sent one person to the hospital on Thursday morning.
On Thursday, police responded to reports of a four-car collision in Asan on the portion of Route 1, or Marine Corps Drive, known as Dead Man’s Curve.
As police responded, roads were closed and traffic was rerouted, GPD spokesperson Officer Berlyn Savella said, confirming one occupant of the four vehicles was taken to Guam Memorial Hospital with “nonfatal injuries.”
On Friday, Savella confirmed with The Guam Daily Post that there was a total of five occupants among the four cars. Two of the occupants were in a sedan and the three other vehicles held one occupant each, Savella said.
Photos of the crash taken by the Post showed other vehicles involved included a Dodge Ram and a white truck.
Although lanes on Route 1 were opened around 1 p.m. Thursday, Savella confirmed Friday that GPD’s Highway Patrol Division is continuing its investigation.
Dead Man’s Curve
In the past year, several people have been hospitalized and some have died from traffic crashes on Dead Man’s Curve, which is the stretch of road between Adelup and Asan.
The most recent was a crash on Oct. 29, 2023, where a sedan collided with a dump truck and two men, Mark Suda Jr., 40, and Repingeni Santos, 45, died. A third individual was hospitalized and last known to be in critical condition, Post files state.
GPD, through an investigation, determined this was one of several of the total 29 fatal crashes last year that was caused by “excessive speed.”
At 11:12 p.m. July 16, 2023, the Guam Fire Department responded to a two-car collision on Dead Man’s Curve which resulted in 5 out of 8 occupants being hospitalized, Post files state.
At 9:44 a.m. May 22, 2023, a three-car crash resulted in three people being hospitalized with nonfatal injuries, Post files state.
In 2020, former police spokesman and traffic investigator Sgt. Paul Tapao told the Post, “it’s called Dead Man’s Curve for a reason.”
“People have crashed there and lost their lives. A lot of it is drivers overcompensating on the curve where vehicles will run into the oncoming lane. That’s usually what happens when they lose stability. The whole weight shifts and you lose control,” Tapao said.
Tapao, who also has been a crash investigator during his time with GPD, said the safety measures in place are posted for all who drive through that area.
“The speed changes from 35 mph to 25 mph to allow the motorists to slow down their vehicle. That is key there, being able to slow your vehicle down as you approach the curvature. A lot of people don’t realize curves propel the vehicle to move at a greater speed. There’s a lot of things that happen during that motion,” he said. “Any (speed) greater, you are bound to lose control of your vehicle. … So, from both directions, you want to be able to understand the reason they require motorists drive at that speed.”
Tapao said the size of the vehicle is also something to consider, as the bigger the vehicle, the greater the danger.
