Guardrails are meant to help keep people safe, but some guardrails are actually killing people. The ends of guardrails are supposed to telescope or give way when they are struck. In the case of the killer guardrails, the ends of the rails don’t give way. Instead, they remain still and can impale occupants of vehicles that slam into them.
These stiff guardrails are at the heart of a lawsuit that was just filed. Families who have lost loved ones due to these guardrails took action against the manufacturer. The manufacturer’s improper instructions are being blamed for the issue.
The company that makes X-Lite guardrails, Lindsay Corporation, is also being accused of concealing evidence of the issues. The lawsuit also notes that Cumberland Guardrails Inc. should have known that the guardrails weren’t properly installed. The family members of the man who died in one accident and the woman who died in another want to see the guardrails replaced. Tennessee is in the process of replacing them already.
The lawsuit further notes that there have been at least seven deaths connected with this guardrail since 2016. The family of the female who died did say that nothing will bring her back, but they hope to prevent more deaths from occurring due to these killer guardrails.
While these fatal accidents were the result of a product defect, it is important to think about the lesson that comes from these two deaths. In some car crashes, the person who is at fault isn’t another driver, it is a manufacturer. In these cases, the person who is injured or the love ones of those who die might choose to seek compensation from the product manufacturer.
Source: WATE.com, “Families sue guardrail company after fatal Tennessee accidents,” June 28, 2017
