NORTH BAY - A driver is lucky to be alive this afternoon after hitting a Highway 11 guardrail near South River.
A 48-year-old man was southbound on 11 just past Mountainview Rd. around 4:15 p.m.
A witness tells BayToday the driver was dazed and had an injured shoulder but was otherwise unhurt.
The guardrail is specially designed to absorb impact and save lives.
It is an energy-absorbing tangent terminal, 50′ long and has eight posts.
During head-on impacts, the head slides over the W-beam guardrail.
According to the company website, "The rail is sequentially kinked or bent as it moves through the head. The kinked guardrail exits the head safely and the vehicle is brought to a controlled stop. When impacted along the side within the length of need, it functions like a guardrail. The errant vehicle is safely redirected back toward its original travel path."
BayToday will update as further information becomes available.
- BayToday.ca