The Lattix design in action
Posted on Sep 01, 2009 - 08:59 AM
A photographer in Tromsoe, Norway, photographed the aftermath of a near-fatal crash where two lives were saved due to the energy absorbing Lattix design.
All Lattix solutions are
thoroughly and rigorously tested, but documentation of how the masts
and gantries perform in actual use is harder to come by. We do know
that accidents do happen, but usually the debris after accidents have
been cleared up by the time we are informed of accidents involving
Lattix products.
That makes these photos somewhat unique. As you can see from the photos, the gantry legs were heavily deformed after the crash, which took place in Tromsoe in northern Norway, on June 13th. The vehicles was also heavily damaged, but – due to the energy absorbing qualities of aluminium and the unique Lattix material, the two people involved in the near-fatal accident survived with only minor injuries. Both passengers were discharged after a night in the local hospital, with only small cuts and bruises to show for after their brush with death.
The vehicle hit the Lattix portal at high speed.
Immediately prior to impact, the vehicle most likely skidded off a
curb, which tossed the vehicle into the air at high velocity. As is
evident from the photos, the vehicle impacted the Lattix mast about
1.5 metres off the ground. This often causes shearing points or slip
base solutions to malfunction, but the forgiving Lattix mast did its
job anyway: crumbling on impact, absorbing massive amounts of kinetic
energy.
The portal had been erected in 2005, when local road
authorities placed special emphasis on road safety. The return on
this investment came just four years later, when two lives were
saved, thanks to the foresight of representatives of the Norwegian
Road Authority in the Tromsoe region.
Photos: Aasta Pettersen (Photos used with permission).
Links:
The local newspaper «Tromsø» reported on the incident. This is the reason we now have these photos. You may read the original newspaper report on this address (Norwegian text only): http://www.itromso.no/nyheter/article275193.ece