More states are pulling a controversial guardrail from their highways as a grieving father headed to Capitol Hill to demand a national recall.
Steve Eimers, from Tennessee, has made it his mission to have the Lindsay X-Lite guard rails removed from highways across the country and a national recall by the Federal Highway Administration. His daughter, Hannah Eimers, 17, was killed when her car ran off the road, and her car was pierced by the guard rail instead of deflected.
“How many more people does the Federal Highway Administration want to die before they act?” Steve Eimers said. “They need to answer that question.”
Hannah Eimers is one of at least six people who were killed after crashing into a Lindsay X-Lite end terminal. Three lawsuits have been filed against the company, and Steve Eimers is hoping his meeting with congressional aides will lead to action.
“I am here to seek the bipartisan support of these senators and congressmen for a letter to the Federal Highway Administration, saying the data is in. It is time to act,” Steve Eimers said.
Virginia stopped installing new X-Lites in 2016, but there are still about 1,000 of them on roads across the state. Maryland announced it would no longer use the guardrail after a News4 Consumer Reports investigation, but it still has about 900 currently in place.
Steve Eimers said seven states are actively removing X-Lites from their roads due to concerns about safety. He received a letter over the weekend from Rhode Island, agreeing to remove the guardrail after reading the data he collected.
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He's headed to Annapolis on Tuesday to make his plea to Maryland lawmakers.
Lindsay Transportation Solutions insisted the X-Lite is safe. In a statement, they said, “X-Lite has successfully passed crash and safety tests in accordance with federal standards and criteria, and remains eligible for federal transportation funding."
