BELIEVES IS PART OF THIS, THE GUARDRAIL.
NEWS 9 HAS BEEN LOOKING INTO THIS STORY FOR THE LAST YEAR.
>> ONE OF THE TOP TEN ACCIDENTS I'VE RESPONDED TO FOR KIND OF BEING A GRUESOME SCENE AND BEING A SERIOUS MOT VEHICLE ACCIDENT WITH FATALITY INVOLVED.
AMY: THE HONDA CIVIC, IN 2017, THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL WAS FIRST ON THE SCENE.
>> I SAW THE VEHICLE DOWN OFF THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE ROAD THAT HAD GONE THROUGH THE GUARDRAIL.
AMY: NOW RETIRED HE REMEMBERS SPEAKING TO THE FEMALE PASSENGER WHO SAID SHE WAS OKAY AND WALKING FURTHER DOWN THE EMBANKMENT HE SAW THE THAT THE DRIVER JULIA MELENDEZ HAD BEEN
EJECTED.
>> SHE WAS PINNED UNDER THE VEHICLE.
AMY: SHE DID NOT SURVIVE THE CRASH.
THIS WAS NINE MONTHS EARLIER, TENNESSEE HIGHWAY, THE DRIVER WAS 17.
MY DAUGHTER WAS FATALLY OBLITERATED TO THE POINT THAT WE LITTER WILL I WERE PICKING UP THE PIECES.
YOU DON'T WANT TO BE WHERE I AM.
YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE WHERE I AM.
AMY: SINCE THAT DAY IN NOVEMBER, 2016, HE HAS MORPHED FROM SMALL BUSINESS OWNER TO PART-TIME INVESTIGATOR, LOBBYIST AND ACTIVIST.
HE BELIEVES WITH EVERY FIBER OF HIS BEING THIS PIECE OF THE GUARDRAIL CALLED AN END CAP TERMINAL, IS THE REASON HIS DAUGHTER WAS KILLED.
>> T LEINDSEY CORPORATION HAS THE BLOOD OF MY DAUGHTER AND OTHERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ON THEIR HANDS.
AMY: LINDSEY TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS IS ONE OF THOSE LISTED IN THE CIVIL LAWSUIT HE FILED THIS YEAR.
AND COURT DOCUMENTS SAY THAT LINDSEY DESIGNED, TESTED, MANUFACTURED THE GUARDRAIL SYSTEM AND THE CASE IS SCHEDULED FOR TRIAL NEXT YEAR.
>> I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE ARE AWARE OF THIS RISK IN THEIR STATE.
AMY: ACCORDING TO THE NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AS OF FEBRUARY 2017, 11 X-LIKE TERMINALS WERE ON USE ON ROADWAYS.
ONE WAS ON THE I-93 GUARDRAIL THAT JULIA CRASHED THROUGH.
>> THE GUARDRAIL WAS A TWISTED MASS OF METAL THAT HAD COME THROUGH THE VEHICLE AND KIND OF BOUND UP AROUND THE VEHICLE ON THE SCENE.
>> NEW HAMPSHIRE DOT DECLINED AN INTERVIEW, CITING CONCERNS OF POTENTIAL LITIGATION.
AND CONFIRMED THAT THEY INSTALLED.
AN INTERDEPARTMENT MEMO OBTAINED BY NEWS 9 INVESTIGATES STATES BECAUSE OF THE QUESTIONS OF X-LIGHT AND OTHER PROBLEMS, THE USE OF TERMINALS ON PROJECT UNDER DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION IS
SUSPENDED.
THAT SAME YEAR, REPAIR GUIDELINES WERE REPAIRED FOR ROADS WITH SPEEDS HIGHER THAN 45 MILES PER HOUR.
REQUIRING ANY DAMAGED CARD RAIL TERMINALS BE REPLACED WITH A NEW GENERATION OF ROAD SAFETY HARDWARE.
HOWEVER, UNLIKE OTHER STATES, NEW HAMPSHIRE IS NOT ACTIVITY REMOVING AND REPLACING ALL OF THE END TERMINALS.
>> WHY ARE 17 STATES REMOVING THEIR PRODUCT FROM THE ROADSIDE AND THROWING IT INTO THE DUST BIN?
>> LINDSAY TRANSPORTATION SOLUTION DENIES THE CLAIMS THAT THE X-LITE TERMINALS ARE DETECTIVE OR DANGEROUS CITING APPROVAL FROM THE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, OUR RESEARCH AND
REPEATED CALLS FOR INFORMATION FROM THE STATE DO NOT SUPPORT CLAIMS THAT THIS SPECIFIC TYPE OF GUARDRAIL PERFORMS DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHERS.
COMPANY AN OFFICIALS SAY THE REMOVAL OF X-LITE GUARDRAIL TERMINALS FROM APPROVED LIST IS MERELY THE SUNSETTING OF AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF ROAD SAFETY EQUIPMENT AS STATES MOVE TO
COMPLY WITH NEW UPDATED FEDERAL GUIDELINES AND NOT A REFERENDUM ON THE SAFETY OR QUALITY OF THEIR PRODUCT.
BUT FOR STEVE, HIS LOSS HAS TURNED INTO A LIFE MISSION TO ERADICATE ALL X-LITE END TERMINALS EVERYWHERE.
>> I'VE NEVER BEEN TO NEW HAMPSHIRE, BUT I WOULD NOT WISH THIS ON ANYONE.
AMY: EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE MAINE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ANNOUNCED IT IS REMOVING ALL X-LITE GUARDRAIL END TERMINALS FROM ITS ROADWAYS THE CHIEF ENGINEER SAYS THERE
ARE ABOUT 50 AND COST OF REMOVAL BETWEEN 200 AND $300,000.
AT LEAST THE 17TH START OPTING TO REMOVE AND REPLACE X-LITE GUARDRAILS DESPITE THE FINDING