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Skater · 07-11-2010, 04:46 PM

Got into an accident with the B-van today.

Erica, Snowball (the cat), and I are all fine, fortunately.

We were on I-83 just south of the Route 30/Arsenal Rd. exit in York, PA. Came around the bend and there was someone with a utility trailer that had pulled over - except the side wasn't wide enough so he was still partially in the lane. I hit the brakes (there was traffic in the other lane), locked them up, and we slid into the back of his trailer. (He's okay too, fortunately - he was outside and went running when he saw us coming.) Turned out he didn't even have a spare tire... why he pulled over there is beyond me; there was a spot just a bit farther up that was at least wide enough for him to get off the road.

Camper damage: radiator and transmission cooler were both punctured. Grill, fender, bumpers, hood, etc. all need to be replaced. The side window shattered, strangely enough. I'm not sure if it's a total loss or not; we'll have to see how the insurance calls it.

Tow dolly: I think it's done. The rivet that holds the hitch pin in was torn out, and the dolly actually hit the rear bumper of the camper, bending the bumper. Also, the tray of the dolly has a slight "U" shape that it didn't have before, and it swivels freely now.

Cougar (the car on the dolly): It's basically okay, except that the dolly must have hit the bottom of the front fenders and bent them in. We drove the Cougar home without any problems.

Be careful out there, people.

**blmitch5** · 07-11-2010, 04:52 PM

I'm glad your all ok. Why would someone stop around a bend? Ans not get totaly off the road? At least no one was hurt.

TBRich · 07-11-2010, 05:04 PM

Bummer...hate hearing about stuff like this...why they didn't pull off safely you'll probably never know... but you're so lucky that you were not hurt....nor was anyone else...we're so relieved to hear you're OK. We hope you get it all resolved smoothly and you can get back on the road soon...

callie · 07-11-2010, 05:28 PM

GOD does take care of his children.....all of us!!

I am glad all is OK....or at least will be OK!!!

TEXAS BLESSINGS are heading your way....open the gate!!

Adios....Callie...

TAC TX 42

Lily&Me · 07-11-2010, 05:30 PM

Glad you're okay, sorry to hear about your B-van. We have one, too, have had a few scrapes but nothing serious in 3 years. Hope your insurance company does right by you and you're back on the road soon.

Take care,

Maggie

F450Harley · 07-11-2010, 07:49 PM

Skater,
Glad you are all o.k. Thanks for the post, it will surely help us all while on the road this summer.

mi silver · 07-11-2010, 08:24 PM

Happy to hear your all fine.That's why we have insurance to fix up the metal.THat can be replaced but not loved ones.Thank God your all ok and that includes the cat. DR J Port Huron Mi

airstreamhobo · 07-11-2010, 08:54 PM

Skater, Glad all of you were not hurt, I guess now you will buy "Her" a Big Motorhome?? Obie

Skater · 07-12-2010, 06:02 AM

Thanks for the kind words, everyone! We're pretty disappointed, of course, but glad that we're okay and the Cougar is okay.

Quote:

Originally Posted by airstreamhobo

Skater, Glad all of you were not hurt, I guess now you will buy "Her" a Big Motorhome?? Obie

If they total it (which I'm not sure they will...it could go either way, I think), we're going to an Airstream trailer. We really really like the late-90s/early-2000s 30' models with the dinette and queen bed in the back - I've seen a couple of those up for sale recently and I think they'd be great. If we can't find one of those, an early '90s 34' (again, with the queen bed) would be our second choice. We'd have buy a pickup to tow it with, too. We were planning to do this anyway, but not for a couple years.

Either way, we're going to junk the dolly. It took too much damage to be worth repairing. I've hated that thing from the day I bought it, but I will say how thrilled I am that it protected the Cougar. The tow truck drivers told us that frequently cars on dollies end up under the camper... mine was still safely strapped to the tray of the dolly, though. So if they repair the camper, we'll just have to drive separately or rent a car at our destinations.

Our biggest concern right now is that we don't want to miss the WDCU Outer Banks Rally in August. I've really been looking forward to that. Hopefully it'll be resolved by then...

tlavergne · 07-12-2010, 06:57 AM

Skater,
So sorry to hear...glad you are all okay. Hope the insurance company takes good care of you.
Tom and Nan

SARGE/AF · 07-12-2010, 09:23 AM

Skater, Glad to hear everyone was safe and not hurt, sorry about the B though. Hope everything works out for you.
Why people do the things they do we will never know, people now days just do not use their heads anymore (except those looking for the insurance money). I am a firm believer that maybe they should reinstate the driving test for everyone to renew their license, and it should be every 2 years. Those that can pass the test for common knowledge need to take a driving class, which is another area that needs to be changed, too many out here teaching bad driving habits.

Sarge

Skater · 07-12-2010, 09:55 AM

Oh, by the way, I'm liable for the damage to the other vehicle since I hit a parked vehicle. That was sticking out in the lane. Near the end of a sharp bend. On the interstate. In a 55 mph zone.

Lesson: If you ever need to get rid of a car...

Location of the accident, if you're curious. Try the street view!

richinny · 07-12-2010, 04:46 PM

i know that if i was the car that stopped while still on the lane of traffic, i would have gotten a summons for 'stopping on pavement i guess not.

i'd think they'd do a 50/50 kind of thing.

barts · 07-12-2010, 06:23 PM

Sorry about your accident... fortunately, no one was injured.

One of the lessons from this for everyone is speed control; many of our rigs take much longer to stop than our daily drivers - we're obligated to reduce speed until we can still stop within our sight distance.

One of the more valuable experiments one can make is to get on a deserted stretch of road and explore the behavior of one's rig under emergency stopping conditions. Some of our vehicles don't have ABS systems, and practicing hard stops is the only way of learning how to quickly reduce speed. "Locking them up" causes your vehicle to slide for much longer distances, since you're traveling on a film of liquid rubber...

- Bart

FordTruck · 07-12-2010, 06:36 PM

Sorry to hear about the property damage but that can be fixed. People damage is another issue and glad to here you're ok.

Wife and I drove that stretch of road today. Had we seen you, we definately would have been rubber-necking and probably created a secondary incident. Left Beacon Hill CG in Intercourse for home via Fredericksburg VA.

Skater · 07-13-2010, 05:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barts

Sorry about your accident... fortunately, no one was injured.

One of the lessons from this for everyone is speed control; many of our rigs take much longer to stop than our daily drivers - we're obligated to reduce speed until we can still stop within our sight distance.

One of the more valuable experiments one can make is to get on a deserted stretch of road and explore the behavior of one's rig under emergency stopping conditions. Some of our vehicles don't have ABS systems, and practicing hard stops is the only way of learning how to quickly reduce speed. "Locking them up" causes your vehicle to slide for much longer distances, since you're traveling on a film of liquid rubber...

- Bart

Yeah, yeah. And on a clear day when you can see fine you probably would have been going at least as fast as I was. Believe me, I'm not the only one that made that mistake there and the other drivers had even more warning than I did.

hampstead38 · 07-13-2010, 09:21 AM

Since I live in northern Maryland, I've driven I-83 between Towson and York many times. The Maryland section is pretty decent, but the road in Pennsylvania does have some issues. There have been some pretty ugly accidents on it over the years.

No matter how safely you drive, the poor decision(s) of another driver can wreck you. The point is to minimize the possibility of an accident and when an accident happens, to maximize your chances of walking away. Sorry about the pile-up, glad no one was hurt.

barts · 07-13-2010, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skater

Yeah, yeah. And on a clear day when you can see fine you probably would have been going at least as fast as I was. Believe me, I'm not the only one that made that mistake there and the other drivers had even more warning than I did.

Sorry, I didn't mean to cause problems... but if you routinely out drive your sight lines or stopping distance, you _will_ get in accidents - it's just a matter of time, speaking from personal experience

. If you want to go faster, you need to reduce the stopping distance of your vehicle by either improving it mechanically or optimizing your stopping skills.

An interesting read on stopping distances: LINK.

My sympathies with your property loss, and I share your thankfulness that no one was hurt.

- Bart

Skater · 07-13-2010, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barts

Sorry, I didn't mean to cause problems... but if you routinely out drive your sight lines or stopping distance, you _will_ get in accidents - it's just a matter of time, speaking from personal experience

. If you want to go faster, you need to reduce the stopping distance of your vehicle by either improving it mechanically or optimizing your stopping skills.

An interesting read on stopping distances: LINK.

My sympathies with your property loss, and I share your thankfulness that no one was hurt.

- Bart

Okay. I saw him in plenty of time and saw that he was stopped. I also saw traffic in both lanes flowing past smoothly. What's the obvious conclusion here? Yes I made a mistake; there's no need to insult me about it.