The Ohio Department of Transportation announced on Nov. 4 that are ceasing the purchase of ET-Plus Guardrail End terminals manufactured by Trinity Highway products. They are the 30th state to ban the use of these specific guardrails.
Departments of transportation across that nation are shunning these guardrails as a part of the system, the rail head or end terminal, is suspected of being defective which could cause the guardrails to jam up during an automotive accident.
Trinity is one of four contractors the state purchased guardrail equipment from, more than 6,500 guardrails in the state came from Trinity.
Trinity guardrails have been coming under fire and on Oct. 20 a jury found that the company had defrauded the government when they made changes to their guardrails and failed to notify federal officials. Trinity made changes to the guardrails back in 2005. The Federal Highway Administration is also requiring Trinity to conduct new crash tests.
Lawsuits have alleged that the defective guardrails led to the deaths of five people and many more injuries. If the guardrails are found to be dangerous after additional testing, the company could face many more lawsuits.
If you or someone you love has been injured due to a defective product, a Cincinnati personal injury lawyer at O’Connor, Acciani & Levy can help you determine if you are eligible to file a claim for damages.