Car in tow disconnecting from motorhome

[deciccocpa]

People could have been killed had things been a little different.

We were driving our motorhome towing our car north on I-95 just above the Georgia / Florida border when we heard a bang. Checked my side mirrors and saw nothing, glanced in the rear camera and saw damage to the front of our Saturn. Our campground was at the next exit 2 miles away. We took the exit, stopped at the stop sign and turned left towards our campground and heard another bang.

The bang we heard on I-95 was an object flying off another vehicle and hitting the back of our motorhome. The object bounced off the motorhome onto our hitch and into the front of our car.

The second bang we heard at the exit was our tow bar coming apart and the front of our Saturn coming off. We believe making the turn put enough stress on the damaged hitch to cause one arm to come apart.

Fortunately, (1) it didn't come apart on I-95, (2) one arm of the tow bar stayed intact, (3) we had an auxiliary braking system and (4) we had good insurance.

The other arm of the hitch broke and the car started to roll away when
I cut the wire that connected the auxiliary braking system to the car from the motorhome.

We were that close to losing the car on I-95 causing a devastating accident; people could have been killed. Talk about a wake up call.

Our auxiliary braking system wasn't activated because the car didn't brake away entirely. However, we now worry that we have the the right braking system.

Has anyone had a situation where the car broke away entirely and the auxiliary braking system activated?

What auxiliary braking system do you use?

[MR.M]

That first bang should have resulted in an immediate pull over by you on the side of hwy to inspect everything not continue to head to your exit . had you done so you would have seen the damage disconnected the car and had partner drive it back or leave on side of road and pick up later . Just had a guy here in South Florida with his jeep in tow and have th hitch comes off the jeep . lucky he was on a side road going slow and pulled over disconnected jeep and got to wear it could be worked on . on inspection 2 bolts where completely gone from one side 2 brackets that help hole the hitch to the jeep were broken in half and part of the frame torn . this all did not just happen but over time and lack of inspecting the hitch regularly this is what you get .

[deciccocpa]

You're right, I should have pulled off. Of course hindsight is 20/20; it's easy to look back with a would of, could of, should of opinion.

I did have my mechanic inspect my entire vehicle before my trip and that included inspecting the hitch assembly. I replaced the brakes because they were near term. The wheel bearings on all 4 wheels and the ball joints were replaced under my Good Sam warranty (I highly recommend) because they were also close to wearing out.

You can plan and prepare all you want and stuff still happens. Learning from it is more important then a hindsight opinion.

I believed the damage was limited to my car grill and driving 2 minutes to my exit was safer that parking along side of I-95.

My question is what experience have others had with an auxiliary braking system.

[KyDan]

Trying to get my head around "an object flying off another vehicle and hit the BACK of my motorhome"?

[thebrakeman]

x2


Perhaps some kids dropped something off of a bridge? Timed just right, it could have damaged 1 of the arms, and bounced onto the toad.

[B and B]

Really sounds like the tower failed. I would replace this tow system and report the failure to NTSB.

[deciccocpa]

I'm also trying to understand what took place.

The body shop and insurance company both agreed the cause of the damage was obvious.

That made it a comprehensive claim with a deductible of $50 each vehcile vs a collision cliam with a deductible of $500 for the car and $1,000 for the coach saving me $1,400.

Motorhomes drive 60, cars and trucks drive 70 or 80. That would have the object traveling 10 or 20 mph faster then me. My guess, it was a tire iron or pinch bar falling off a passing semi, but that's only a guess.

[deciccocpa]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

x2


Perhaps some kids dropped something off of a bridge? Timed just right, it could have damaged 1 of the arms, and bounced onto the toad.

The thought of someone throwing the object has passed my mind.

[NMWildcat]

There is no way to plan for the freak occurrence. All you can do is keep up your maintenance, inspect at every stop, and pull over if anything sounds or feels different.
Would a different tow bar, braking system made any difference? Impossible to say.
Why do you think a different braking system might be in order? Sounds like the car never actually broke away.

[deciccocpa]

Originally Posted by B and B

Really sounds like the tower failed. I would replace this tow system and report the failure to NTSB.

The insurance company replaced the tow bar, the base plate on the car and the light connection wiring in addition to aligning my cars' front end and replacing both (my almost new) front tires.

We had amazing service from The Hartford Insurance Company.

[deciccocpa]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

There is no way to plan for the freak occurrence. All you can do is keep up your maintenance, inspect at every stop, and pull over if anything sounds or feels different.
Would a different tow bar, braking system made any difference? Impossible to say.
Why do you think a different braking system might be in order? Sounds like the car never actually broke away.

Interesting in learning what system someone else used during a similar accident where the car broke lose and what happened when the car did break lose.

[Desertsquid]

What you reported is just crazy and could have happened to any one of us at any time. Glad you all were not hurt. We use the Ready Brute Elite tow bar with an integrated braking system. The bar itself is a bigger diameter than many of the others I've seen probably due to the braking system inside. That being said I don't know if it would have made a difference in the scenario you experienced. I wonder just what hit you and I'm sure you are still wondering also. I think its just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by deciccocpa

The insurance company replaced the tow bar, the base plate on the car and the light connection wiring in addition to aligning my cars' front end and replacing both (my almost new) front tires.

We had amazing service from The Hartford Insurance Company.

So the Good Sam insurance is underwritten by The Hartford?

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by deciccocpa

You're right, I should have pulled off. Of course hindsight is 20/20; it's easy to look back with a would of, could of, should of opinion.

I did have my mechanic inspect my entire vehicle before my trip and that included inspecting the hitch assembly. I replaced the brakes because they were near term. The wheel bearings on all 4 wheels and the ball joints were replaced under my Good Sam warranty (I highly recommend) because they were also close to wearing out.

You can plan and prepare all you want and stuff still happens. Learning from it is more important then a hindsight opinion.

I believed the damage was limited to my car grill and driving 2 minutes to my exit was safer that parking along side of I-95.

My question is what experience have others had with an auxiliary braking system.

What i don't understand is you say you cut the wire to the brake system and the car started to roll ? if so wasn't the braking system working after all it was keeping the car from rolling. either way consider your blessings it all happened the way it did . the jeep i was talking about also did not pull the brake a way cable . but the guy had it attached to the part that broke off and staid with the coach . doesn't do much good if the cable isn't attached to the toad correctly . have you tested the aux brake by activating it while parked ? just wondering ..


one more question what ever it was that hit you the first bang had to be pretty solid to brake the tow bar and components . Are you sure it wasn't something that broke off the hitch/tow bar as the first bang you heard ?? What could have hit you the broke the tow bar ?

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

So the Good Sam insurance is underwritten by The Hartford?

Good Sam simply finds the cheapest rates at the time, could be several different companies.

[D W]

Originally Posted by KyDan

Trying to get my head around "an object flying off another vehicle and hit the BACK of my motorhome"?

I was wondering the same thing.

[poppytoymaker]

Did you also not have a beakaway cable that is required in most states, that locks the brakes as soon as the car breaks away?

[bubbles]

I would suppose you have looked at the roof to see if something broke loose and flew off the back.

[upflying]

stuff happens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmGDgU9PfKo

[NXR]

We were that close to losing the car on I-95 causing a devastating accident; people could have been killed. Talk about a wake up call.

I don't tow four-down yet. Do four-down towing systems have safety chains like my dolly does?

Ray