Adding insult to injury, the Tennessee Department of Transportation billed a young girl who died in a car accident. The 17-year-old was killed when her vehicle struck a guardrail. Her family is now speaking out against TDOT for a $2,970 bill sent to her for damage to the guardrail.
TDOT has since apologized for the incident, blaming it on a “mistake somewhere in processing.” Another letter will be sent to the family telling them that they do not owe anything for the damage.
The girl’s father wonders why TDOT uses the Lindsay X-Lite guardrail terminals, which are supposed to crumple in the event of a crash. In his daughter’s accident, the guardrail terminal did not crumple. TDOT has begun the process of removing the end terminals, but the project may not be completed until early summer.
DEFECTIVE ROAD SAFETY DEVICES
There have been several lawsuits in the last few years regarding defective guardrails and the potential for injury involving them. Perhaps the most well-known is the lawsuit against Trinity Industries, which was accused of switching to more dangerous, cheaper guardrail designs in order to save money while still promoting the guardrails as if they had been approved by the Federal Highway Administration. A federal judge in Texas handed down a $663 million judgment against the company in 2015.
The injuries that these defective guardrails can produce can be fatal. When they do not work as intended, they become a metal spear, impaling vehicles and anyone in their way.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”