While crews have begun work to fix up the guard rails along Humboldt Parkway in Buffalo, a spokeswoman with the New York State Department of Transportation says those rails were not faulty in both incidents involving cars crashing through and plunging down on to the Kensington Expressway.
Work got underway last weekend to fix the protective rail along Humboldt Parkway, running parallel to the Kensington Expressway. Twice since April 2014, cars traveling at a high rate of speed crashed through the rail and fell below on to the Kensington.
This past November, a car crashed through the rail at Humbolt and Glenwood and fell on to the Kensington. The driver survived and was later charged in connection with a shooting that investigators believe was related to the crash.
Back in April 2014, a 47-year-old man died when his vehicle crashed and plunged in a similar way.
Transportation officials insist the rails were not faulty.
"In either case, vehicle or traffic laws were not being obeyed," said Susan Surdej with the DOT. "When you have excessive speeds down neighborhood streets and extenuating circumstances, they can result in accidents."
Residents have been petitioning the City of Buffalo for an improved protective system, replacing existing concrete and aluminum with sturdier barriers.