Crash Survivor Credits Tti's Technology for Saving His Life

If you drive much in Texas or around the country, there is no doubt you have seen this device on guardrails. Perhaps you've wondered what it is and what it does. It's called the ET2000. In over 60 years of making highway travel more efficient, this is, perhaps, TTI's greatest achievement in highway safety. It's easy to say that TTI has saved countless lives. Occasionally, we hear from someone who has avoided injury or even death from a TTI innovation. You're about to meet Donny Ohana. He found out that the ET2000 is, indeed, a life-saver. It was me, it was my brother and we had two other friends in the back of the car. It was a two-door car so it was smaller. We were on the feeder road next to 610 and Bellaire traveling south. We were trying to go up the ramp and trying to pick up speed because these cars are going fast and then,all of a sudden, the car started fishtailing. Finally I straightened out the car but when I straightened it, I straightened it to the metal rail on the side of the highway. As we hit it, I mean, I remember hitting it in slow motion, this thing is kind of like moving and then we basically veer off and down the hill. And then I look, and I mean, I was fine, my brother was okay, my friends were okay and I just could not believe what happened. The police showed up and I remember just sitting there scared kind of depressed. One of the cops came up to me and I'll never forget it, he goes, "You know, you're very lucky?" And I go, I told him, "I think I'm lucky but I'm really sad right now." And he goes, "Well the reason you're lucky is because that rail that you hit, if it was what used to be there or a different type of rail system it would have gone right through the windshield." Decapitate or impale drivers or passengers in the vehicle. Awful, results. Then the highway department contracted with TTI. They had no constraints on what we did. They said see if you can come up with something innovative and different. It was a trial and error procedure by and large before we finally arrived at a solution that is now known as the ET-2000. It went from, we were just laughing, everything's fine we were about to go to a movie or go eat or something to we all could have been dead. At first I thought maybe I did a good job slowing it down or did something with the brake and then that's why when it hit we didn't get crushed. It had nothing to do with that. It coiled backwards which basically absorbed the impact and saved our lives. And he said that to be me and it stuck with me my entire life. Finally one day, I don't know how, I came on the topic with Holly Crenshaw, and she told me that you all are the ones responsible for designing this thing. That is perhaps one of the most notable inventions and safety devices that has ever been developed at TTI. You don't have to go very far along any highway in the United States and in many other countries to recognize some of the hardware and some of the safety features that were developed here in College Station at TTI. So very, very rewarding and a compliment to many, many people at TTI. I was able to go to college out here at A&M. I met my wife, now I have a new baby who's three months old. Her name is Anaya *E 00:03:41:14 and growing very fast. [LAUGHS] So, I thank you guys very much.