Moved by the heartbreaking case in Tennessee last year that
resulted in the death of Hannah Eimers, a young woman originally from Fredonia,
Senator Young, working with the New York State Department of Transportation as
well as local transportation officials, has called for a statewide study and
report on the use and removal of "X Lite" guardrails and rail caps.
Hannah Eimers was killed in a traffic accident in Tennessee
when her vehicle left Interstate 75, crossed into the median and struck the guardrail.
Tragically, instead of re-directing the car on impact, the guardrail penetrated
the cabin of the car, killing Hannah instantly.
“Our hearts go out to the Eimers family,” said Senator
Young. “There are just no words to adequately express our sympathies for the
loss of a 17-year-old child, especially in such a sudden and tragic way. When I learned about the local connection to
Hannah and got to know her family, I also learned that the type of guardrail
she struck continues to be used across the country, despite growing safety
concerns. This bill would identify
wherever these guardrails are currently used throughout the State of New
York. It is a first step in creating a
plan for their removal and replacement with safer equipment so that we can give
some measure of peace to Hannah’s family and hopefully prevent the same kind of
tragedy here.”
There have been a number of accidents across the country
involving the X-Lite guardrail manufactured by the Lindsay Corporation in which
victims have been killed or seriously injured when these guardrails failed to
perform as expected.
After four deaths involving these guardrails in Tennessee,
and just two weeks prior to Hannah’s accident, the Tennessee Department of
Transportation (TDOT) decided to stop contracting for the “X-Lite” and
announced that it was removing and replacing most of the X-Lites within the
state.
Recently, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)
conducted its own safety tests and concluded the guardrails were not
satisfactory for use. It also began the
process of removing and replacing guardrail end terminals with similar designs
and materials to the "X-Lite" system involved in Hannah Eimers'
death.
The Federal Highway Administration is in the process of
gathering data about the use and safety of "X-Lites" in crashes
throughout the country. The State of New
York has temporarily taken the X-Lite" off of its approved product list
pending further study.
In response to the family’s concerns, Senator Young has also
introduced new legislation, Senate Bill 5427, which would remove “X-Lite”
guardrail products from the list of eligible types of materials used for
guardrails in New York State, ban “X-Lite” and similarly designed products from
being installed in the future, and require that any existing “X-Lite” guardrail
products be replaced.
“Both bills are about ensuring the public’s safety on the
roadways,” Senator Young said. “The
‘X-Lite’ design is seriously flawed.
Locating where these particular guardrails are on all of our local roads
and highways and removing them will help keep everyone safe while honoring
Hannah’s memory.”
