ACCIDENT/ROLLOVER - RV-Dreams Community Forum

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

ACCIDENT/ROLLOVER

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

I still remember this one last year.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865580607/2-killed-in-traffic-accident-near-St-George.html

This is why it is always stressed that people need to make sure they have proper training and licensing before piloting these monsters down the highway.

Hate to post this depressing kind of stuff up here but it is a real "Eye Opener" to play safe out there.

Workinrvers · RV-Dreams Family Member

scary stuff! Good to see the tow bar kept the toad attached even after all that.

mpierce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Heard that the driver went to sleep.

For a simple rollover, that bus was sure crushed! Ouch. That is one of the problems with the newer trailers and motorhomes, there is NO strength, except the frame.

One of the advantages of a pickup or HDT pulling a trailer, or an older MH that uses an actual bus. MUCH better strength above the frame rails.

The newer ones are just plastic and staples. My toy hauler included!

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Both examples are horrific by themselves, my condolences to anyone reading this that is related to or familiar with the victims. It would be helpful know the full report of the incidents, not for the gore but to learn what went wrong so as to not repeat it.

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

biggaRView wrote:
....... It would be helpful know the full report of the incidents, not for the gore but to learn what went wrong so as to not repeat it.

The first one(roll over) was supposed to be driver sleeping. The second one (with two fatalities) was quite a bit more detail in the report. They stated front tire blow-out and loss of control prior to collision. There can always be a lot more to the story.

My wife doesn't drive anything, not even a car. I had discussed with her at different times, what she would do in an incident if I passed out behind the wheel of the coach? Like say a heart attack while motoring down the road. Could she take the wheel and start to slow it down to a safe stop. I've showed her how to kick it off cruise(either hit the switch or tap the brake pedal). Stand up against the wheel, take control of trying to steer.................Then start gently applying the brake pedal.

She said she'll just close her eyes.................I hope she was just joking.

I know she has lots of trust in me and thinks nothing will ever happen........But you never know.

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

Here's one good eye opening example of towing fast in high wind gusts.

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Okay, no need to fear falling asleep at the wheel(at least not me) as I won't drive tired. Tire blow out on the second.... needs more info. Could be old tires failing, could be debris on the road, could be overloaded/underinflated/low tire. In any scenario, it was probably preventable either through better maintenance practices, pre-trip/intra-trip inspections, excessive speed, situational awareness, poor driving skills... the list goes on. Definitely shows one should not take anything for granted when it comes to piloting 15 tons or more of machinery down the road.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

I guess I should quit Texting and driving........not to mention putting the coach on auto-pilot while I take a bathroom break!

Bad habits are hard to break.... biggrin biggrin confuse

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

LOL, Mike

biggrin biggrin biggrin biggrin

Don't forget soda and chips from the kitchen on the way back to the driver's seat biggrin

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

The other thing stated in the incident with the two fatalities, is there were 10 people in total on board. Lucky there weren't more fatalities in that one. I'm quite sure the unit is not set up to "Safely" transport that many passengers.

NOWYO · RV-Dreams Community Member

TRAILERKING wrote:
Here's one good eye opening example of towing fast in high wind gusts.

That one was in Wyoming.

A note about RVing in Wyoming this time of year... Stay out of the Casper, WY area until after April. Wind gusts can get as high as 110MPH there. The I - 25 corridor and The Red Desert area and around Gillette can also be rough. I lived in Wyoming since 1968. Watch the weather and heed high profile vehicle warnings.

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

It didn't look like that truck was towing properly either, was it? Or that the truck and trailer were a good fit?

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

This is indeed scary stuff. My wife and I have separate incidents that almost caused a wrecking of the rig. I actually had to steer into a median of an interstate highway. Fortunately, it was flat. I now have a new outlook on the issue. Anyone who contributes to such an incident is going to be flatter than a tin can run over by a steam roller. In other words...It's You or Me and it ain't gonna be me!!

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

cherylbrv wrote:
It didn't look like that truck was towing properly either, was it? Or that the truck and trailer were a good fit?

Cheryl,

I can't speak to the issue of a match between the trailer and truck, but I can say that anyone with a "high-profile" vehicle needs to be prepared to stop when it is really windy. Best place would be in a large parking lot or truck stop where one can park with either the nose or the tail of the RV facing the wind. Out here in Oklahoma, those 18-wheelers that are bull-haulers with aluminum trailers generally stop early if they are running empty. If they get crossways to the wind, they will definitely be blown over.

Terry

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

After feeling our coach rock in the wind while parked, I told Jo Ann that we would not plan to stay the maximum at any place, so that if the weather isn't decent on departure day we could stay over. We had wind of 20 with gusts to 30 the last time I drove the coach, and I kept my speed WAY down.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

the nice thing about any Rig is its self contained.....off at the next exit or pullout and I sit it out.

there is never enough reason to fight mother nature unless your the point man...and then its life or death!!

Selah · RV-Dreams Family Member

First I hope everything works out well for the couple in the roll over and I hope it does not spoil their interest in RVing. Although it was reported only minor injuries that must have been terrifying.
Second. Although I have not encountered winds hight enough to make me nervous I do plan on following Lucky Mike's plan. As soon as I start to struggle to maintain stability I will pull off and sit it out. Whether it's a rest stop, Wallmart, or a church parking lot.
Get a snack, turn on the TV, relax and be thankful that I can do that.

Sylville · RV-Dreams Family Member

We know this couple that had the recent rollover (Jack and Donna). We had heard that it was due to icy conditions that you can see in the pictures, not falling asleep at the wheel. She has a few broken ribs and both are very sore. It amazes me that they had only "minor" injuries when you see the amount of damage. They love life and my heart aches for them.
Syl

Bill and Jodee · RV-Dreams Family Member

With thousands of miles covered on the road I have never seen a MH or 5'er involved in an accident. Fires yes, accidents no. Perhaps it is that option of being able to just get out of harm's way that contributes to that but I like to think that MOST of the RV community is very safety conscious. All those check lists and reasonable driving times have to make a difference.

We both have limited time behind the wheel of anything larger than a full size SUV and have some anxiety about how it will be......but we have all the time we need to get comfortable with it and plan to use every minute we need.

So glad to hear that Jack and Donna are going to be fine and especially that they are still loving life. Hope they are able to return to the road in the future.

Jodee

WendysPhotos · RV-Dreams Family Member

I am glad to hear that the couple are going to be okay. That looks pretty bad.

ON A SIDE NOTE: In a MH if you are not going to the bathroom or doing something important you should still have you seatbelt on. If you get in an accident and are standing up it could throw you all the way down the vehicle.

Wendy

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

WendysPhotos wrote:
I am glad to hear that the couple are going to be okay. That looks pretty bad.

ON A SIDE NOTE: In a MH if you are not going to the bathroom or doing something important you should still have you seatbelt on. If you get in an accident and are standing up it could throw you all the way down the vehicle.

Wendy

I can relate to something else when you said that.

We always toured around with the butcher block of knives on the kitchen counter. On a few occasions they took a tumble on a firmer brake application. Then there would be about ten knives scattered about the living room area. Now I always set that butcher block of knives in a cabinet until we get to where we're going.

I told the wife, headlines would read.........."Couple Knifed In The Back While Driving RV".

Hahaha

Lonney Wade · RV-Dreams Family Member

That story brought back old memories of when I was driving a motor home in 1991, I was 33 at the time with my wife, and son he was 12 years old, I was pulling a race car trailer from the races just after 11 pm we had a blowout on the trailer tire, speed was 55 mph, the trailer started swaying back and forth till the camper and trailer went sideways and rolled 3 times down the highway we did not have our seatbelts on, I went to the roof then the wall then the floor over and over, my wife and son was sitting at the kitchen table, the big side window blew out and my wife saw my son starting to go out the window and she grabbed his ankle and pulled him back in and held on till the camper stopped rolling, they were taken to the hospital, my son was bruised up all over his back side, my wife and I were also bruised up but we all lived.
It took a long time to get over that accident, the camper was totaled.
These things happen, you have to get over it and move on and we have, but we do not forget, we should be on the road by fall.
P.S. As I was writing this I got very emotional and to tears, It is hard seeing your life and family almost lost.

Lonney

-- Edited by Lonney Wade on Tuesday 25th of March 2014 05:21:50 PM

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

Yes Lonney.............................Very Lucky.

Have to call you "Lucky Lonney" from now on.

Lonney Wade · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks Trailerking, Lucky Lonney sounds nice but that's Lucky Mikes name, I would call it (we are blessed) God saved us that day for a reason, I do feel Lucky to still be alive and my family.
Maybe this story can help people realize you can be hurt on the road, have good tires and be careful you will be missed if something goes wrong.

Lonney

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

Yes that's why I started this thread. Just an eye opener for people to realize the precautions one must take. Not just for the huge motor home but even towing a small trailer.

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

This one happened in front of my shop. Caught on the security camera. My boy just came to the shop and about 1-2 minutes later .......BANG. His car was written off.

The guy was charged;

-unsecured trailer hitch

-no safety chains

-no lights

-un-registered trailer

It ended up being hauled away buy a tow truck .....with his gravel.

Piece of home-made junk trailer. Solid suspension(no springs). No brakes.

Could have easily killed or crippled up someone real bad.

-- Edited by TRAILERKING on Tuesday 25th of March 2014 02:35:25 PM

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

Many years ago, long before security cameras were everywhere, a semi hauling two trailers was going past the plant where I worked. Somehow the back trailer parted company from the rest and tried to come in the front door of the plant. No one was injured, but it made a bit of a mess. While the police were there looking at the trailer the trucker got up the road a few miles and stopped at the weigh station. His weight was quite a bit less than what he thought it ought to be, and he commented about that. The scales guys said that the number looked about right for one small trailer like he had. THAT tipped him off that something wasn't right. It didn't take long for everyone to figure out what had happened.

Now, I've never driven anything like that, but wouldn't you be able to see both trailers in the mirrors? Maybe once in a while the second one would be perfectly lined up behind the first one, or swaying just right so that you can't see it in the left mirror when you look there, and you can't see it in the right mirror when you look there, but if you NEVER see it, wouldn't that give you a hint that maybe something wasn't right?

We always keep the seatbelts on, and I really want everything cleared off the counters before we pull out. Even the cat rides in her carrier when we're traveling. She is so well trained that when I fired up the engine today, not planning on going anywhere, she immediately ran into the carrier and settled down there.