Trinity Industries is the manufacturer and seller of the ET Plus guardrail. This guardrail includes a component known as the end terminal, a portion of the guardrail engineered to lessen the impact of a vehicular-crash, without bouncing the vehicle back into traffic.
Trinity Launches Faulty Guardrail Design
Public records show that in 2014, Trinity saved $50,000 per year by changing the dimensions of the ET Plus guardrail.
Trinity Industries never informed the National Highway Administration (NHWA) of the new design. Even more alarming is that the newly designed versions of the guardrail were never safety tested.
End Terminal Guardrail Defect
Properly functioning guardrails are meant to lessen the impact of a crash by bending away from the colliding vehicle. Due to the dangerous features of the modified end terminal of the Trinity guardrail, a vehicle collision causes it to bend towards the vehicle. Oftentimes these guardrails bend towards the vehicles to the point that they enter it through the front or side and impale the occupants.
ET Plus Guardrail Lawsuits
Unfortunately, the federal government does not have the authority to force Trinity to recall the modified versions of the guardrails. It is up to individual states to have them removed from our roadways. While some states have banned further installation of these guardrails, many states have not removed these hazardous devices from their highways.
