MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — It was 11 months ago when our cameras spotted Florida Department of Transportation contractors at the site of a guardrail on I-75 near the exit to University Parkway. They were there to fix a guardrail we identified to be improperly installed. But today, that guardrail is still not 100% accurate.
“This is an installation error,” Steve Eimers, a guardrail safety advocate, said.
Eimers says some of the slot guards along this rail are upside down.
“Since all four of these were installed wrong on this guardrail, there’s a high probability that person installing guardrails thinks they are doing it right,” Eimers explained.
He says that is a problem, especially since the guardrail was the focus of our “Unguarded” investigation.
10 Investigates uncovered that a young man named Hunter Burns died after crashing into the guardrail. At the time, Eimers told us, ‘It was one of the most egregious installs I’ve ever seen.’
It is why Hunter’s mom, Christy DeFilippo, expected this location to have a guardrail that was properly installed.
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“Where is the training? There must be training. There must be accountability,” DeFilippo said.
Something Steve says would work are “this way up” stickers that manufacturers put on panels, so contractors know which way pieces go.
He also believes the state would benefit from a guardrail garden. Multiple states have invested in them, including Maine, to help combat installation mistakes.
“A guardrail garden is a training facility where you have an example of all types of guardrail installs. It allows people to train in a controlled environment," Eimers explained.
More training is exactly what DeFilippo says is needed in hopes that by next year, every single guardrail on any road will not be a potentially deadly mistake.
“I know that Florida wants to do better. And I have expected them to do better. And so this training really comes into play now,” DeFilippo added.
We reached out to the Florida Department of Transportation to ask about the guardrail and are still waiting to hear back.