U.S. Capital

Steinberg Law Firm Attorney Malcolm M. Crosland Jr. Local Counsel for X-LITE Guardrail Device Failure in Blankenship Lawsuit

Feb 13, 2018

Malcolm M. Crosland, Jr.

Charleston, SC (Law Firm Newswire) February 13, 2018 – X-LITE guardrail rails, manufactured by Lindsay Corporation of Nebraska, have taken the lives of dozens unsuspecting motorists involved in high-speed accidents that ended with passengers being impaled by the guardrail that was supposed to telescope into itself. Lindsay Corporation stated their product is designed to collapse into itself and protect accident victims. Several serious accidents across the nation have proven otherwise. X-LITE has been linked to dozens of deaths and catastrophic injuries since 2016.

Steinberg Law Firm attorney Malcolm Crosland together with Leslie Kroeger of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll is representing Ronald and (the estate of) Charlotte Blankenship who were driving on I-26 on April 29, 2017. Their vehicle suddenly left the roadway off the right shoulder, colliding with a Lindsay X-LITE guardrail – supposedly a safety device designed to ease the impact generated by a high-speed collision. Instead, the rail impaled Charlotte Blankenship, on the passenger’s side of the vehicle, causing catastrophic injuries. Mrs. Blankenship subsequently died. Ronald Blankenship survived.

Several other lawsuits involving the X-LITE guardrail have also been filed, including a suit in Tennessee involving a woman who had to have her left leg partially amputated after colliding with a Lindsay guardrail in June 2017, just two months after Charlotte Blankenship’s death. In this instance, the woman’s car swung off the right shoulder of I-40, in Tennessee. The collision caused the guardrail to pierce the vehicle frame causing severe injuries.

In 2017, there were also three other lawsuits filed by victims of crashes involving the X-guardrail in Tennessee state court against Lindsay Corporation. In all instances, the guardrails pierced the victim’s cars and did not buckle when hit.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S.DOT) indicates there are roughly 14,000 X-LITE guardrails presently installed across the nation with approximately 4,000 to 5,000 in North Carolina. Removal of the guardrails statewide was authorized by the Tennessee Department of Transportation in April 2017. Since that time, other states have removed the guardrails and removed the Lindsay Corporation from their approved product lists.

States that have removed or made the decision to remove the guardrails are:
· New Jersey
· Ohio
· Rhode Island
· Missouri
· Vermont
· Oklahoma
· Virginia
· New York (removal by the end of 2018)
· Maryland (removed manufacturer from approved product lists)
· South Carolina (removed manufacturer from approved product lists)

“If you have been involved in an accident where your vehicle collided with an X-LITE guardrail and that guardrail severely injured or killed a loved one, seek experienced legal counsel to ensure you obtain just and equitable compensation for your injuries,” said Steinberg Law Firm attorney, Malcolm M. Crosland, Jr.

About Attorney Malcolm M. Crosland Jr.

Mr. Crosland has consistently been recognized year after year by Best Lawyers in America and SuperLawyers. He holds the highest level rating with Martindale-Hubbell (A/V) for his ethical and professional standards. He’s a past president of Injured Workers Advocates; the only statewide organization for attorneys dedicated to the protection of the rights of injured workers and was elected to the executive committee for Workers Injury Law and Advocacy Group (WILG).

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