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Bill to study deadly guardrails passes State Senate

ALBANY — State Sen. Catharine Young has announced that legislation she sponsors (S.6096-A) calling for a statewide study to identify the location of all “X-Lite”guardrails used on any state or local roads in New York State has passed the Senate.

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.”

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