JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After two people died in a car accident on Southside Boulevard in October, one family put the city and the Department of Transportation on notice, saying they planned to sue.
Charles Irle and a female passenger were in the car when it hydroplaned on the wet road, crashing into a sidewalk handrail. Then, according to police reports, the metal from the railing pierced the car and went through both victims' bodies, killing them.
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The rails are in place to protect people on sidewalks from falling, but Irle's family said the rails are deadly for people in cars.
"They just acted like sharp spears that rammed right through the automobile," explained attorney Kevin Sanders, who's representing the Irles. "That killed my client and a young lady in the front seat."
Irle's arm was severed in the accident and he bled to death. The woman was impaled.
Photos of the scene show how the poles shot through the car instead of safely breaking away.
The family said those rails should not have been there in the first place.
"They are an engineering disaster," said Sanders. "They should not be that close to the road. They should be set back a lot farther."
Officials from the DOT disagree, pointing out that the police report attributes the crash to driver error.
"Those rails are there for pedestrian safety and not to prevent vehicular crashes or injuries in a vehicular crash," said DOT spokesperson Mike Goldman.
But when asked by Channel 4's Jim Piggot why there were other steep, dangerous areas that don't have the railings, no one could offer an answer.
The DOT removed the rails at the crash site, and a memorial to the victims remains. Officials said they evaluated the area after the crash and determined that the slope was safe enough to prevent pedestrians from slipping.
Sanders said the DOT should have thought of that before two people were killed.
"I don't think there is any purpose to have them other than to be a hazard on the road," he said.