CANTON, Mass. — State Police say excessive speed was a key factor in a crash Friday that left one person seriously injured when a guardrail impaled his vehicle.
The victim was traveling southbound on I-93 in Canton when he struck the end of the guardrail.
“If that guardrail had been a little bit lower or a little bit further back it would have pierced his body and it potentially could have been a fatal crash,” State Trooper Matthew Guarino said.
Police say the end cap of the guardrail, called an attenuator, collapsed as designed but because of the speed of the vehicle it did not absorb all of the impact.
The next section of the guardrail, referred to as the ribbon, then pierced his Honda Accord near the front right tire and went through the vehicle and into the driver’s side door.
“That speed was excessive enough that all the vehicle’s energy could not be absorbed by the collapsing end cap, causing the car to rotate into the ribbon guardrail,” Massachusetts State Police told FOX25
The ET Plus guardrail end cap was built by Trinity Industries, and has been named in several lawsuits connected to deaths and dismemberments.
Trinity Industries is the focus of a federal investigation after federal grand jury found Trinity Industries defrauded the government by changing the design in 2014.
“The ET Plus is the most tested guardrail in America. When installed and maintained properly it performs as designed,” a spokesperson for Trinity told FOX25.
Massachusetts officials told FOX25 that while they are not removing these ET Plus guardrail end caps, damaged pieces are being replaced with another brand.
Family members tell FOX25 the driver is still in the hospital and will have surgery on Tuesday.
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
