Media Banned from Testing of Controversial Guardrail

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Federal regulators have ordered crash tests of a highly scrutinized highway safety device, but the testing will be closed to media. Trinity Industries, the manufacturer of the ET-Plus highway guardrail head, has announced they will not allow news cameras to record the crash tests. According to 13newsnow.com, Trinity has argued that their tests are data driven, not determined visually, and therefore will not allow cameras in to film.

Trinity Industries has come under fire in the last year after a Virginia whistleblower alerted regulators to unauthorized changes the company made to a safety device used throughout the country. In response, more than thirty states banned or temporarily halted the installation of the ET-Plus model of guardrail end terminal. Trinity Industries also faces $175 million in fines following a federal lawsuit that found the company had indeed made design changes without alerting regulators.

Highway guardrail end terminals are meant to help slow down the force of a collision by forcing the sharp rails of the guardrail backward and away from the passengers. Instead, the ET-Plus model has been known to malfunction, sending the sharp metal end of the guardrail through the cabin of oncoming vehicles. This has led to amputation of limbs, injuries and even fatalities.

The crash testing of the ET-Plus will determine the fate of the device and its role on our nation’s roads. The testing will be conducted this month, with regulators hoping to make a final call about the safety of the product by the beginning of 2015.

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Our Guardrail Injury Lawyers are currently investigating serious and fatal guardrail accidents related to this untested 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, Free Case Evaluation 877-544-5323