Guardrail Dangers & Why You May Need a Defective Product Lawyer in Alabama

Ed Rowan, Esq., a Taylor Martino defective product lawyer in Alabama, P.C.  met with an expert engineer in 2016, Dr. Brian Pfeifer of BEC Consulting about his extensive experience investigating potential defective designs and installation of guardrails and barriers along highways and interstates. His specialty is roadside safety and analysis of maintenance of traffic issues, with great knowledge of current guardrail dangers.

What is the Purpose of Guardrails and What Are Some Current Guardrail Dangers?

The sole purpose of guardrails and barriers is life safety – to protect us from a hazard that is on the other side of the guardrail or barrier in case of a crash such as trees, embankments, and other structures. All across the United States, there currently exists a potentially defective end cap installed on guardrails (called the guardrail terminal) – this is an endcap called the “ET-Plus” guardrail system manufactured by Trinity Industries. There are severe guardrail dangers associated with the ET-Plus guardrail system. The ET-Plus guardrail system does not collapse when a car impacts it, but rather has the potential to cut the car into pieces and the rails have speared through the driver or passenger-side doors, into seats and through the vehicle floors. This ET-Plus guardrail system end cap has been the subject of a $680 million verdict in Texas and the company faces at least 40 product liability lawsuits nationwide over its ET-Plus guardrail system product. If you believe you have been affected by guardrail dangers, you may want to hire a defective product lawyer in Alabama to receive compensation for your injuries.

What are the Guardrail Dangers Associated with the ET-Plus Guardrail System?

A recent study conducted by the University of Alabama-Birmingham concluded that a redesigned version of the ET-Plus guardrail system places motorists at a higher risk of serious injury or fatality than the previous version of the ET-Plus guardrail system. The study examined eight years of data for injury and death crashes in Ohio and Missouri involving five different guardrail end terminal designs. The study found that the ET-Plus guardrail system design was 3.95 times more likely to produce a fatality than its predecessor, the ET-2000 design. In addition, the ET-Plus guardrail system was 1.45 times more likely to produce a severe injury. The study was funded by The Safety Institute and the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.

Should You Hire a Defective Product Lawyer in Alabama to Help After a Crash?

A defective product lawyer in Alabama may be able to help. If you were seriously injured in a crash and there was a guardrail or barrier involved, there could very well be a defectively designed ET-Plus guardrail system installed that did not serve its one and only purpose – to protect you. A defective product lawyer in Alabama can help if you have been injured by problems caused by the ET-Plus guardrail system or other guardrail dangers.

Please contact Ed Rowan at (800) 785-8755 or at ed@taylormartino.com for a free and confidential consultation.

EDWARD P. ROWAN, ESQ.

TAYLOR MARTINO, P. C.

PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS

455 St. Louis Street Suite 2100

Mobile, Alabama 36602

Toll-Free: 1-800-256-7728

Main Tel:  251-433-3131

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