Schumer: Feds Should Review 'Dangerous' Guardrails

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published October 27, 2014 at 7:59 PM EDT

Senator Charles Schumer says the federal government should investigate whether faulty guardrails have been installed along upstate New York roadways. The Democrat wrote to the Federal Highway Administration Monday asking for a review of where the rails are so they can be quickly replaced.

Trinity Industries Incorporated stopped shipments of its ET-Plus guardrails after a Texas jury ordered it to pay at least $175 million for misleading regulators. A whistleblower says the company changed the guardrails' design but never told regulators.

Schumer says there are likely thousands of the guardrails in upstate New York, which, instead of reducing the impact of a crash, can pierce a vehicle and injure its occupants. Trinity Industries didn't initially respond to a message seeking comment.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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