Deadly Guardrails on Trial in Trinity Whistle-Blower Case Trinity Industries Inc. (TRN) is set to defend itself a second time at trial against $1 billion in claims that its highway guardrail systems lock up and puncture cars on impact — sometimes with fatal consequences. Joshua Harman, a self-described safety advocate from Swords Creek, Virginia, accuses Trinity in the whistle-blower lawsuit of secretly changing the design of one of its products to save on manufacturing costs. The trial set for this week is a redo after U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap in Marshall, Texas, declared a mistrial in July with only a few hours of testimony remaining in the case. The judge based that decision partly on “serious concerns” over a company official’s truthfulness while under oath, according to a court order. Harman, 45, claimed that Trinity modified what’s called an energy-absorbing end terminal, a steel fixture mounted on the end of a guardrail to cushion the impact of a crashing car, without telling federal authorities. Instead of acting like a shock absorber, the revised version jams up and behaves more like a giant spear, according to Harman. The federal government helps state transportation departments purchase approved highway products, including Trinity’s end terminal. Harman’s lawsuit, filed on behalf of [...] newsintx/deadly-guardrails-on-trial-in-trinity-whistle-blower-case/
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 07:31:21 +0000
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