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ghaynes755 · 08-16-2014, 09:22 PM

Pat this is one of those times where you need to reach out to the family attorney. Relatively new trailer, land a new Denali. Totally fault of the other driver. Would be interested in hearing who your insurance is with. But in the end you really want the other guy to pay everything so that there isn't a real claim on your policy. And no one, and I sincerely mean this, no one at the insurance company is on your side. In the end if the insurance company covers it and your rates go up then you are not really made whole.

Worth at least talking to your layer guy. Hope everything works out for you with minimal hassle.

Pat Cassity · 08-16-2014, 09:31 PM

G, interesting you should suggest a lawyer. I put a call in to mine this afternoon soon after I filed the insurance claim. You are totally correct. First, this should be entirely expensed to the other driver's insurance company since he has been found at fault. And regardless who ends up paying, they are going to do their best to low ball any eventual payout. Unfortunately in Texas ( and of course in other states as well) insurance premiums increase regardless as to who is determined to be at fault.

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cwf · 08-16-2014, 09:32 PM

Wow...we are so sorry for the accident and happy y'all are ok!

I would think the driver should also be cited for hitting from behind if he/she hit you there first.

Also, I am sure a good attorney will subpoena the cell phone records at time of incident.

Hope you. An get "back in the saddle" quickly!!!

Anther reason I pay extra for "in-underinsured" coverage. There are careless people operating on the roads!

May you have peace, quick healing and full recovery, emotionally and financially.

silverlabs · 08-16-2014, 09:59 PM

I'm sorry this happened to you. We were at the AS dealer in Provo and saw a sad AS that had been rolled. It was quite the sobering sight for us as we are ending our 7 week trip towing our brand new FC. I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt. Hope you mend quickly in body and spirit and get back out here. This is a fabulous land to explore in a piece of Americana.

cory_can · 08-16-2014, 10:06 PM

Glad everyone is ok. Hopefully you can look back on this in a few years as a minor blip in your life and continue to explore with confidence.

7GenTex · 08-16-2014, 10:30 PM

Look in the mirror........You made it out unharmed.

Take 3 DEEP breaths..........

Hug wife (and any other family members), cry, get it out of your system. (though you never will)

$ - it will work out, If not - see below

You are alive - Live life.

I was in VFD as a first responder for many years when I was younger - over 300 vehicle accidents - too many did not make it................

RacerX · 08-16-2014, 11:56 PM

Looking at those photos all I can think is that you are very fortunate to be alive. As the saying goes, "Any accident you can walk away from is a good one."

rbs · 08-17-2014, 06:49 AM

I think people texting while driving present the biggest risk we face everyday driving. I know that I see it daily, and it obviously impairs the driver's abilities. I have been runoff the road more than once, luckily never pulling the Airstream, yet. I quit riding my bicycle because of my encounters with drivers talking on cell phones, texting. It was apparent that it was just a matter of time before I was run over.

Is there a law in Texas that prohibits talking or texting while driving?? In IL it is against the law to text or talk without Blue tooth, but in reality ignored and hard to enforce. I would have your attorney or the police dept. look at the cell phone records for the time frame of the accident. I am glad that you survived that horrible accident, and hopefully recover all, and some, of your losses.

kevin242 · 08-17-2014, 08:16 AM

Glad you emerged relatively unhurt. Maybe instead of the worst day of you lives, it was actually your luckiest. A wreck like that has so much potential to end up with one or more people critically injured - or not surviving at all.

Hard to lose what you did, but it will all end up working out in the end - it's you that cannot be replaced!

Hibby · 08-17-2014, 08:27 AM

Wow! Wow! Wow! What a lucky day it was... Texting and driving. Funny how our perceptions have changed. I used to assume that someone was falling asleep at the wheel, or drunk. Now it's usually texting, and as children that aren't of age yet begin driving I'm sure these instances will continue to increase.

We see fatalities almost weekly in the news about bicyclists that have been struck by cars, with technology as the primary distraction.

My best to you and your family... We're all happy that you lived to share your story with us.

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Foiled Again · 08-17-2014, 09:11 AM

14 months ago, I rolled my stream. The safety systems our tow vehicles definitely did their job. Life IS going to be a bit different - but also better over time. I was "fine" right after my wreck. Since then there have been a lot of "hits" or emotional shakeups that rocked me for a couple of days, but every one of those has been followed by a realization that "it's only stuff" and "you can hide and a storm will still find you, or you can carry on and seize the day." Last may on a trip, someone hit my rear streetside panel - then left the scene. I wasn't happy, but simply went to the factory and had it replaced... and forgot about it. I seem to be more resilient about small stuff now. And a lot more stuff is "small stuff" than used to be.

Your Airstream is totaled. When one goes over on its side at speed? Well crush a toilet paper roll between your hands... you don't even have to flatten it to know you'll never get it perfectly round again. The panel that got flattened by the road pushed the roof out of whack and the far side panels have been affected too. 90% of the rivets and ribs, and panels that "look" OK aren't.

No matter how good your insurance is, it won't cover replacing the contents - because you have to replace the contents with new stuff. So if you can go back to the storage lot where they've taken the Airstream and salvage clothing, cookware, etc. do so. Get a lot of mid-size cardboard boxes and UPS it home to yourselves or get a rental truck. You won't believe how much stuff you have in there. Three piles - toss, give to charity, pack. And I just hope you didn't have a bottle of detergent that got punctured - or a 5 lb bag of flour that went flying.

Since you don't fulltime, you're not under a lot of time pressure to get a replacement. Sit down and list every single thing you wish you'd had but didn't get with your Airstream. List everything you loved about your Airstream. Get both lists fulfilled with your new one. (That said, I never wanted solar... but my "new to me" Eddie Bauer had it... and I like coming home from a day of boondocking and seeing my batteries at 100%.)

The "blue book" value of Airstreams is really low. Go to Airforums, call dealers, look on craigslist and get some "real world" replacement costs to show the insurance companies. My company was really good about accepting the price I would actually have had to pay to replace my 6 year old unit with another one. Yours is newer - so you'll get a little bit of a hit on that first year depreciation, but since it's so close to the end of the season, you'll also find some bargains out there. Of course if you financed the wrecked one without a substantial down payment, you may find that the lender gets the cash and you get very little toward a new one.

It's a good day to be alive and well. (I replaced a Safari with an Eddie Bauer - now what did that old one look like???) Time heals all... and you're off to a running start.

SEE you down the road. Paula

Pat Cassity · 08-17-2014, 09:41 AM

Airstream friends, I can't begin to express how much each of your supportive and positive remarks mean to my wife and I at the moment. Each hour brings different feelings and thoughts about the last few days. Your suggestions and remarks are much more helpful than you can imagine. Please keep them coming! I would like to also share some things that we have l learned from this experience that might be helpful to others in similar situations. Please forgive me if I get a little long winded here. First of all, if you have Onstar in your vehicle but aren't subscribed, I strongly suggest that you subscribe now. As soon as our vehicle came to a stop Onstar was automatically activated and there was voice calling me by name telling me that 911 had already been alerted and responders were on their way. They asked if there were any injuries and at the time we really didn't know if we were injured or not. When I told Onstar that I wasn't sure they made sure that medical help was on the way. The Onstar rep. stayed on the entire time until we were helped from the Yukon. The paramedics checked us out while the police completed their investigation. At that point we didn't feel there were any injuries. However, after the scene was cleared and the TV and AS were towed away, I noticed that my right wrist was beginning to swell. The police officer drove us to the hospital so that we could be examined. We then noticed that my wife had a a severe seat belt burn on her right shoulder. After we were discharged from the hospital we were stuck. No vehicle to drive, cell phones were going dead and no way to charge them since everything was still in the trailer. I called my insurance company for help ( Liberty Mutual) and they began trying to locate a rental for us. I wanted a large SUV or van for a one way trip so that we could retrieve our personal effects from the vehicles before making the 8 hour drive home. We also needed a rental service that would come to hospital and pick us up. This became an almost all afternoon effort. Very few agencies offered any of these services and none offered them all. We eventually found a Avis dealer at a Sears store in a nearby mall that had a Ford Edge and agreed to come pick us up. We then had one hour before the storage lot with AS was to close. The trailer and Yukon were towed by 2 different companies to 2 different storage yards on opposite sides of Amarillo. Fortunately, the yard with the Yukon was open 24/7. However the yard with the AS would close and not reopen until Monday. I later found out that I could have chosen to have one company to tow both vehicles and they could have been towed to the same storage yard. We made it to yard with the AS with about 30 minutes left before they closed. It was now pouring down rain. At that point we really weren't prepared for what what we were about to see. After prying open the door ( the trailer had landed on that side when it flipped) the interior damage was incredible. I was able to get inside but everything was everywhere. To make matters worse, the entire contents of the refrigerator had emptied, as well. Eggs, syrup, you name it, it was everywhere on everything. We completely filled the Ford Edge and drove to the other lot but had no room left for the items in the back of the Yukon. We cleaned out the console and glove compartment and took everything that could still fit into the Edge and drove 9 hours home arriving at 4 am the next morning. The lesson that we learned from all the associated challenges after the accident is that in the future one should be much more prepared or certainly more prepared than we were. Maybe more easily said than done.

Paula, I was writing this when you were, and just finished reading your comments. Thank you so much for your thoughts and suggestions.

Pat

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Lily&Me · 08-17-2014, 11:06 AM

Yes, Paula is the local go-to expert on wrecking your Airstream.

You are traumatized, and are going to be for awhile. Perfectly normal, and to be expected. You may have trouble sleeping, be irritable and jumpy.

Might want to see your primary care physician for a good going-over, now that you are home.

Writing about it here is good, for several reasons. You are getting it out, you will receive support and encouragement, and there is at least one someone here who knows something about almost everything, and will be willing to help.

In 2002, when we got our first RV, I drove it by myself from here to Colorado, and met my husband there. He insisted I get AAA before I left, which I did, and have carried it ever since.

They will come and get you, tow, and deal with whatever, reliably and predictably.....unless you are in Missouri during the ice storm of the century, in which case the weather is too bad for the tow trucks to go out.

Good luck, and keep us posted here.

Maggie

xrvr · 08-17-2014, 11:16 AM

Recently while riding my bicycle on the side walk I was almost hit head on by another bicyclist riding no handed in the oposite direction. This has happened twice now. Neither person reacted until I yelled and rode onto the grass. Both young people, bot who probably drive and do the same. Jim

terryV · 08-17-2014, 12:08 PM

As has been said several times; stuff can be replaced, people can't. So glad you guys are still here to talk about it.

Some insurance companies are very good at taking care of their policy holders. We were hit by a truck last month in Tennessee. Damage was confined to the last 10 or 12 ft. of the AS. The truck never stopped; he took off like a scalded dog.

Clearly it was not our fault, but our insurance company is going to have to foot the repair bill. The insurance company rep told me to get an estimate, and he would send me a check.

My dealer wanted to talk to that rep, because he knew he would have some arguing and explaining to do to get it fully paid. He told me later that the rep told him he had pics and the estimate, and a check was in the mail. No questions. No argument.

The bill was over $14,000. The insurance company is Cincinnati Ins Co. I will be staying with that company for a good long time.

mok · 08-17-2014, 04:03 PM

Tough break but good that you made it ok. After driving in New Jersey last week, I am convinced to install a wireless camera on the back of my trailer. Tired of not being able to see the idiots who speed right up to my trailer bumper where I can't see them in my mirrors, then pull out to pass from nowhere.

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cwf · 08-17-2014, 08:17 PM

I installed a RVS. I can see approaching vehicles from Both sides and stern.

dougandlori · 08-17-2014, 10:00 PM

I always tell my 18 year old son, I am not concerned about his driving abilities but the other idiots on the road. This is a horrible story and as said by many before me glad you are OK. You can replace everything else.

Arcticfox · 08-17-2014, 10:47 PM

Hi Pat:
As others have mentioned - you really need to change this title....

I'm sort of thinking "A bad day that became one of my luckiest"

All one needs to do is sit back for a second and remember how catastrophic things actually could have been! By doing that you will quickly see the material issues drift into the distance.

Very glad to hear that your both safe and in one piece.

Cheers
Doug

westcoastas · 08-18-2014, 01:09 AM

I'm a new forum member and a one-day old owner of my first trailer and AS. I've yet to purchase my TV but I have to thank you Pat for sharing the experience of your misfortune and good fortune. I have to admit I have used my Google maps app on my phone while driving and that's not much better than texting. I love my 9-year old AS and I haven't even towed it yet, so I can only imagine the emotional loss involved seeing your new AS ruined. Your story is a sobering one and I'm sure I would feel worse if I were the cause of such a loss. I wish you and your loved one a speedy recovery both emotionally, physically, and trailer-wise.