A 67-year-old security guard on a bicycle died after being struck by a silver sport utility vehicle with darkly tinted windows near a carwash on Middle Road, Chalan Laulau Saturday evening.
The victim, Patit Mondal, a Bangladeshi national, wasn’t wearing a safety helmet and his bicycle did not have safety lights, Variety learned.
CNMI law states that a bicycle must be equipped with one light each on the front and the rear that is visible from a distance of 500 feet. Every bicyclist must also wear a safety helmet on the highway and bright or reflective clothing while riding.
Variety also learned that the victim was riding his bicycle on a dimly lit uphill portion of the road.
“Witnesses thought it was a hit and run, but the vehicle in question was there — the SUV stopped on the other side of the road,” said a Department of Public Safety official who requested anonymity.
In an official statement issued Monday afternoon, DPS stated that on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, around 8:36 p.m., the police department dispatched units to a report of an auto-pedestrian crash on Chalan Pale Arnold or Middle Road, Chalan Laulau.
At the scene, police noticed a bicycle lying on its side in the middle of the road with items scattered throughout the lanes and a silver SUV with moderate damage stopped at the shoulder of the road.
Medics arrived on the scene and transported the operator of the bicycle to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. where Dr. Lily Muldoon pronounced the victim dead at 8:58 p.m.
According to DPS, the traffic case is under further investigation, adding that the public should be mindful of the victim’s family during this time.
