Father calls on Alaska governor to ban what he calls ‘deadly’ guardrails, which he claims killed his daughter

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – For almost six years, a Tennessee father has been on a mission to warn states and drivers about what he calls “doubtlessly lethal risks” on our nation’s roadways.

This all surrounds a particular kind of guardrail finish terminal that dozens of states have eliminated, however Alaska’s Information Source discovered continues to be prevalent right here in Alaska. The X-Lite guardrail met federal security necessities when it was accredited for set up again in 2011, nevertheless, the guardrail doesn’t meet at the moment’s requirements — although many stay on state highways. Alaska’s Information Source has been trying into this for the previous 5 months and located there could possibly be almost 300 of them on Alaska’s roadways proper now.

Halloween of 2016 was the final time Steve Eimers would see his daughter Hannah.

“I had a bow, and I used to be heading out to the woods to go deer looking,” Eimers mentioned. Early the following morning, Eimers acquired a name that the 17-year-old was in a severe automotive crash close to their house in Tennessee. Hannah’s automobile struck a guardrail, which speared her automotive, killing her immediately.

“I’ve labored EMS, I’ve labored within the emergency room, I’ve seen horrific…,” Eimers’ recalled throughout an emotional interview.

Eimers discovered the guardrail was an X-Lite, the identical kind concerned in a lot of crashes all through the nation wherein autos had been impaled. Generally killing or maiming passengers and drivers. One video demonstrated how X-Lites had been supposed to soak up the impression of a head-on collision, with rails telescoping inwards, however Eimers says he started discovering crashes the place that didn’t occur.

“There was one other one in Tennessee after which North Carolina and South Carolina and all throughout america,” Eimers mentioned. So Eimers wished to know why. He says he drove hundreds of miles analyzing X-Lites. Whereas utilizing a pair of calipers, he measured bolts and different key components and, based on his lawsuit, measurements usually differed from the producer’s authentic design.

“This was a really survivable crash, my daughter didn’t die as a result of she left the roadway,” he claims, “she died as a result of she hit an X-Lite.”

Eimers sued the guardrail’s producer, Lindsay Transportation Options, based mostly in Rio Vista, California. He says that the lawsuit, which continues to be awaiting trial, compelled Lindsay to provide alarming proof. Like how crash testing was carried out on the similar facility the corporate owned, one thing the Authorities Accountability Workplace now calls, “an inherent potential menace to independence within the testing course of.”

The go well with additionally claims Lindsay knew about design flaws however knowingly withheld that data from the Federal Freeway Administration. That company determines whether or not guardrails meet minimal security requirements.

Alaska’s Information Source obtained a whole bunch of Lindsay’s inside emails and memos. In a single e mail from January 2014, Lindsay officers talk about images of real-world crash scenes. Lindsay’s product specialist tells the corporate’s president, “on this picture the rail buckled and isn’t a clear hit. … If you must go away the DOT images, I’d not go away this one.”

Later that yr, the identical product specialist is informed about an installer in Missouri who “has doubts concerning the X-Lite and requested to see the crash movies.” When requested, “which movies (if any) ought to I not be displaying contractors?” He names two that will be, “okay,” then says, “all the opposite movies are ‘not fairly’ and I’d be important of displaying any of the opposite ones.”

“I believe Lindsay has been terribly misleading,” Eimers mentioned. Alaska’s Information Source obtained one of many crash assessments from the collection Lindsay referenced as “not fairly.” The video exhibits a crimson automotive crashing into an X-Lite and the rail spears the entrance of the automobile. When slowed down from a unique angle, it’s evident that the guardrail goes all over the automotive and out the again windshield. “These are very ugly assessments, they had been horrible assessments,” Eimers mentioned.

In 2016, an identical crash occurred in Tennessee killing passenger Wilbert Byrd. The automobile swerves to the left aspect of the roadway and hits the guardrail, the rails then pierce by the automotive and blow out the again windshield. As years handed, extra lethal crashes involving X-Lites made headlines across the nation. Some states banned the guardrails altogether, spending tens of millions to take away them from the roadways.

Nonetheless, Lindsay nonetheless maintains its product is protected. Their knowledgeable acknowledged in Hannah’s crash the X-Lite functioned correctly, and since her automotive hit the guardrail sideways, it penetrated the door, which is the automobile’s weak level. In 2017 the FHWA was conducting an in-service pilot program to judge the efficiency of a number of guardrails together with the X-Lite. In a memo that yr the FHWA’s affiliate administrator for the Workplace of Security acknowledged, “We have now additionally examined probably the most rigorous in-service information that we now have to this point — the preliminary outcomes of a pilot In-Service Efficiency Analysis. Underneath the pilot, FHW A and the 4 states (MO, CA, MA and PA) are evaluating 9 vitality absorbing guardrail terminals, together with the Lindsay X-LITE. In contemplating the 200-plus crashes, the ratio of Fatality+ Critical Harm per whole crashes doesn’t result in any conclusions that any of the gadgets, together with the Lindsay X-LITE, are unsafe.”

Alaska’s Information Source contacted the FHWA concerning the standing of the continued analysis and discovered it has not been accomplished.

Lindsay Transportations Options defends their product stating, “The X-LITE as put in on U.S. roadways handed all required security assessments. On two separate events throughout a few years, the Federal Freeway Administration (FHWA) confirmed that the X-LITE’s assessments had been carried out in accordance with all relevant requirements and testing standards. In FHWA’s evaluations of in-service efficiency, the X-LITE additionally carried out constantly with different finish terminals and didn’t result in any conclusion that the X-Lite was unsafe. Quite a few states have confirmed that they’ve had no detrimental experiences with the X-LITE.”

DOT officers in Alaska agree there’s no proof that X-Lites pose any threat. In April 2017, Eimers contacted them to learn the way many X-Lites had been put in right here. He says officers claimed there have been none. That very same month, the FHWA additionally started asking state DOTs to report what number of X-Lites that they had. The subsequent day, Al Fletcher from FHWA’s Alaska Division Workplace responded saying, “Alaska doesn’t have any X-Lite terminals in service at the moment.”

However a number of days later, the DOT realized they did. DOT emails famous quite a few X-Lites situated on the Parks Freeway hall, Pittman Highway, and Fairview Loop within the Mat-Su and areas alongside the Kenai Peninsula. 4 days later, Alaska DOT informed Fletcher that they had “possibly a pair” of X-Lites. Fletcher’s e mail acknowledges this and he then admits, “I’ve not up to date my response” to federal freeway officers in Washington, D.C.

The FHWA in Washington says Alaska ultimately reported having “some” X-Lites, however they couldn’t inform us what number of. To search out out, Alaska’s Information Source submitted a public data request to Alaska’s DOT. Information present between 2019 and 2020, the DOT situated roughly 175 X-Lites. However their examine solely included roads the place the posted velocity restrict was 50 miles an hour or increased and didn’t embody areas with plans to switch guardrails within the subsequent 5 years. “It is a very severe hazard on Alaska roadways, and I believe Governor Dunleavy has to step up,” Eimers mentioned.

In Might of this yr, resulting from our five-month investigation, Alaska’s DOT up to date these numbers. They preserve there are nonetheless a few hundred X-Lites in components of Southcentral Alaska, together with Anchorage, however an additional evaluation discovered between 50 and 75 on the Hydaburg Freeway on Prince of Wales Island and one other 75 to 100 on Kodiak Island. That’s about 275-X-Lites, 100 greater than DOT officers knew about. Although, at this level, they haven’t any plans to take away them.

The DOT informed us, partially, that it’s working to, “modernize guardrails and finish terminals on high-speed principal roadways. The division is … anticipated to speculate … $40-50 million price of guardrails, changing over one thousand guardrail segments, or roughly 130 miles of outdated guardrails, all through the Mat-Su, Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula.”

“They should clarify to your viewers why they’re going to go away these harmful guardrails on the roadside,” Eimers mentioned. “That’s unconscionable, any individual’s going to die, and they’ll have blood on their fingers.”

In 2018, the FHWA adopted stricter security protocols, which the X-Lite didn’t meet, in order that they had been discontinued. Alaska DOT officers say they plan to take away about 32 X-Lites throughout a venture that’s anticipated to go to bid this fall. Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s workplace referred our questions on X-Lites to Alaska DOT. The DOT answered our questions by e mail however declined to do an on-camera interview. Tennessee’s DOT reported that in Hannah Eimers’ crash, the shear bolts labored and the rails telescoped correctly, however Steve Eimers claims the guardrail nonetheless failed to soak up the automotive’s impression. His case towards Lindsay Company is ready for trial on June 13.

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