Nashville, Tennessee road crews have begun work to remove the twenty ET-Plus guardrail end terminals in the metro area. This marks the first such kind of removal of the allegedly defective device, though the guardrail head has been temporarily banned in more than thirty states across the country. City engineers told wsmv.com that the removal process would cost about $200,000 and take a few weeks to be completed. Virginia officials recently made similar plans to remove the guardrail heads in question on the Commonwealth’s roads, but have yet to begin the process.
The ET-Plus, designed by Trinity Industries, has come under much scrutiny following lawsuits across the nation. Plaintiffs argue that dangerous, negligent changes made to the design of the ET-Plus went unreported to federal regulators. It was only when the devices began to malfunction that many people noticed the reduction in size of a crucial metal component. Internal emails have revealed that the design change likely saved Trinity Industries money in manufacturing costs.
Most of us never think twice about guardrails unless we’re involved in an accident. Guardrail end terminals are designed to help bring an accident to a slow stop as safely as possible by forcing sharp guardrail edges backwards and away from oncoming cars. Tragically, the ET-Plus has been known to malfunction, piercing vehicles and injuring passengers. In one particularly heartbreaking situation, a 3-year-old boy was killed when a guardrail spiked through the rear passenger side of the car, cracking the boy’s pelvic bone in two different parts.
The more of these deadly guardrails that remain on the road, the more chances for tragic accidents to occur.
Do You Need A Guardrail Lawyer? – Get Help Now
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, Free Case Evaluation 877-544-5323