DALLAS, TX (KLTV) -
Trinity Industries has halted shipments of its controversial ET-Plus guardrail system after a trial in Marshall raised questions about the system's safety.According to a statement late Friday, Trinity Industries said they will be halting the shipments of the ET-Plus systems until additional testing can be performed.
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“In light of FHWA's [Federal Highway Administration] request, the right thing to do is to stop shipping the product until the additional testing has been completed,” said Gregg Mitchell, President, Trinity Highway Products, LLC. “We have confidence in the ET-Plus System as designed and crash tested by Texas A&M Transportation Institute. It has met all tests previously requested by FHWA. We take the safety of the products we manufacture very seriously.”
This comes after a federal jury found Trinity withheld information from the Federal highway Administration regarding a one-inch design change in their guardrail around 2005. It is that change, a whistle blower and competitor, Joshua Harman said made the product dangerous if not deadly.
In internal memos obtained by ABC News, company officials suggested the design change was made to save money. The change in design, it was noted, was going to save the company $2 per guardrail or $50,000 a year. The company also said it inadvertently omitted documentation to the Federal Highway Administration noting the change.
With the jury's decision, Trinity possibly faces nearly a billion dollars in fines and fees.
Several lawsuits were filed across the country alleging the guardrail system contributed to a motorists death. One of those cases is still in a Harrison County district court surrounding the 2011 death of Gerardo Munoz, of Waskom.
Four states --- Virginia, Missouri, Massachusetts and Nevada --- have halted the use of the Trinity guardrails as they look into the safety of the product.
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A Trinity guardrail along a Dallas highway. (Source: ABC)
