Guardrail Manufacturer Accused of Cover Up

Home > Guardrail Injury News > Guardrail Manufacturer Accused of Cover Up

As the world awaits crash testing results from Trinity Industries, allegations of a cover-up have surfaced. Trinity’s ET-Plus guardrail end terminal is said to be defective, with lawsuits from across the country claiming the device malfunctioned during car accidents. These accidents have left people seriously injured and killed, leading federal regulators to call for updated safety testing for the ET-Plus.

The ET-Plus was originally tested when it came on the market, but a Texas court found Trinity Industries had made unauthorized changes in the design of the guardrail back in 2005. The updated design was not put through the rigorous testing expected of highway safety materials. Experts claim that the changes to the product is likely the cause of the malfunction.

Now, an engineering professor and guardrail developer is asserting that Trinity Industries has attempted to cover up their design change. Dean Sicking told bloomberg.com that a third version of the ET-Plus has been found on highways in Alabama. A small change in dimensions made the product much safer and was not recognizably different to the layman’s eye. Sicking told the Federal Highway Administration of his findings back in 2013.

The FHWA says they sent engineers into the field to investigate the allegations this fall, but that may be too little, too late. Crash test results due by the end of January, but no one is sure which version of the ET-Plus is being tested.

All that is certain is that there are over 200,000 of these potentially deadly ET-Plus devices on roads across the country.

Seriously Injured in an Accident Involving a Guardrail?

Our Guardrail Injury Lawyers are currently investigating serious and fatal guardrail accidents related to this potentially dangerous guardrail design. If you or a loved one were injured in an accident with a guardrail, contact our attorneys to discuss your legal options. We offer a free, no obligation, case evaluation – Get Help Now 877-544-5323