Washington Bans Installation of Controversial Highway Guardrail

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Washington has banned the installation of a highly-scrutinized piece of highway safety equipment: the Trinity Industries ET-Plus guardrail head. The ban follows the trend among over 30 other states doubtful of the safety of the guardrail end terminals. This controversy stems from a whistleblower’s recent lawsuit against Trinity Industries, claiming the company defrauded the federal government by failing to notify regulators of a change in design. This change, an inch reduction in size, has led experts to speculate that the guardrail end terminal now malfunctions when struck by oncoming cars.

Guardrail heads, or end terminals, are the black and yellow striped posts at the end of highway guardrails. Their job is to absorb the impact of crashing cars, pushing the sides of the guardrail aside to allow vehicles to safely come to a stop. The ET-Plus, however, has been known to pierce straight through colliding cars, often injuring or killing passengers inside.

Though plenty of states have now banned the future installation of these guardrail heads, only Virginia has elected to remove ET-Pluses currently on the highways. Q13fox.com reports that there are likely over 600,000 of these guardrail heads on the nation’s roads.

The whistleblower in the Trinity Industries lawsuit is urging the company to recall the ET-Plus model, and says more people will likely continue to be hurt in accidents involving the guardrail head if more is not done to remove them from the roads. Still, Trinity Industries insists their product is safe and is working to prove it through additional crash testing.

Seriously Injured in an Accident Involving a Guardrail?

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, case evaluation – Get Help Now 877-544-5323