Need advice regarding recent accident

[craignhouston]

Hello, the worst thing happened this weekend on the road . A tire of a minivan next to us on the interstate blew out and the inexperienced driver panicked and lost control. we tried to get out of her way but was unsuccessful. She hit our 2015 Vibe on the driver side where the slide out is right over the axels, causing both our axels to shift, tires and wheels destroyed. The trailer flexed to the right nearly tipping over. Luckily we were not injured and no damage to our 2500 ram.


Not only noticed the damage to where she directly hit, but also damage to wheel well on opposite side where the axels shifted. Our electric tongue jack would not work after the accident when trying to disconnect to have unit towed, but there was electricity to the trailer, as the stabilizer jacks would operate and the tail lights were still functioning.
waiting for the insurance adjuster to call me but would like some input from anyone with the unfortunate experience of being in an accident.

Concerns:

1.besides the obvious direct damage, should I be concerned about internal damage due to the way the trailer nearly overturned? The last thing we want is for them to fix the obvious damage, then get the unit back and our first camp after to have internal issues, leaks etc. occur. I can already envision the washing of the insurance hands from responsibility of these less obvious issues. I am thinking about the non-functioning electric tongue jack that is far from the site of the "damage"

2. we had several long weekend, and 1 week long vacation planned in the next two months. Is the at fault's insurance responsible for providing us a rental so we are not inconvenienced for the next few months?

3. our dishes, coffee pot fell out of cabinets and broke. Are they obligated to replace these items?

4. Should I get an attorney?

bottom line, we are new to this and I have quickly realized an rv is not as simple as an auto accident, where one drives a rental car for a few weeks while the car is fixed. This could take months

Any advice greatly appreciated.


Craig

[Yorkranchgalnguy]

Have a trusted rv shop examine unit and write report as to wether it should be totalled . It may be better to have insurance replace rather than try to fix it. Your report should address hidden damage.

[Herk7769]

I agree; severe camper damage is usually a total due to ultralite frames.

[DuncanM]

I agree, should be a total write off, don't think i would trust it after what happened. All damaged contents should also be covered for replacement as well.

[stealthWA2313]

OP you are opening a Pandora's Box when asking insurance related questions. So many states have different regulations regarding insurance claims there is probably nobody here who could accurately answer your question...but many may try

A blowout by itself does not assume liability. You will have to prove that she was either driving on defective equipment, or reacted in an unsafe or unreasonable manner after the blowout. Sometimes blowouts happen and are unavoidable. I read your description of events, but can guarantee that will not be the same account that the young lady or her insurance agree to. Unfortunately you may need consult an actual insurance professional to get the best information possible.

Sorry to hear about your accident. I hope it works out for you, and you can find the solution you are looking for. Maybe more qualified individuals can chime in on this.

[clr]

I would say in the first round let your insurance company take care of this, but keep in contact with them and keep an eye on them. But the heavy lifting here should be on your insurance company.

[phillyg]

The amount of described damage would have me thinking of replacement rather than repair.

[aceinspp]

Don't be quick to settle. Later RJD

[rsdata]

I would say in the first round let your insurance company take care of this, but keep in contact with them and keep an eye on them. But the heavy lifting here should be on your insurance company.

X2

[IronCobra]

Do you have any pictures of the damage you can post? We just took delivery of our 2016 Vibe and I would be interested in seeing how that type of accident actually damages the trailer. If you don't mind that is.

[Brewhedd]

Originally Posted by rsdata

X2

X3

Even if you are in an auto accident let your ins. co. repair it. Been there, done that, the "other" ins. co. won't care at all and will perform repairs as cheaply as possible. In your case, sounds like a total loss due to frame damage.

[rlchall]

Following

[CindyB]

Craig: So sorry to hear about the accident. Any time for an accident is bad, but especially when you have trips planned. I am an attorney, although located in California and don't specialize in tort or motor vehicle accident law, which is what you have on your hands. The advice that laws are different in different states is correct, but I can give you some general suggestions. When you said you were waiting for insurance adjuster to call, I don't know if you meant her insurance or yours. I would report it immediately to my own insurance. Typically, they deal with the other party's insurer for your benefit. In most states, an individual is responsible for the direct damage and consequential damages (i.e., loss of your rig for your pending vacation) they cause to another person's property. So, I would certainly demand a rental in place of your rig. Whether you opt for repairs or feel a replacement is appropriate, do not sign ANY releases until you are satisfied with the solution. Finally, if you feel at any point that the process is not moving along appropriately, I would consult with an attorney. Find someone who knows motor vehicle liability law in your jurisdiction and Google the heck out of them. Unfortunately, there are a fair number of flaky attorneys out there. You will probably have to pay them a retainer up front and I don't know if you'd be able to recover your attorney fees from the other party or not - every state is different on that score. Good luck to you.

[MilCop4523]

As with anything else MAKE sure that the insurance company who is working for YOU treats you as a priority
if you haven't already - take lots of pictures
you should also have taken pictures of the mess inside.

If they feel its a write off then they will do the correct thing.
if they fix it and you feel that its unsafe following the accident, then you need to have the insurance company sign a letter stating that from date of repair the unit will be insured for future damages which may pop up. Where as you are towing the unit and may have something break that could have been stressed at time of impact, my guess is that the insurance company will NOT want the liability to something heavily damaged to be replaced and hauled.

years ago we had a rear end accident and i demanded the child seats replaced with new ones. they said no. i told them that if they said no that they would have to sign a document they were to be legally responsible for any damages or injuries arising out of product failure past that point.
We got 2 new child seats.

[craignhouston]

I tried to post pics but I was unable.

[txkreddog]

Originally Posted by craignhouston

Hello, the worst thing happened this weekend on the road . A tire of a minivan next to us on the interstate blew out and the inexperienced driver panicked and lost control. we tried to get out of her way but was unsuccessful. She hit our 2015 Vibe on the driver side where the slide out is right over the axels, causing both our axels to shift, tires and wheels destroyed. The trailer flexed to the right nearly tipping over. Luckily we were not injured and no damage to our 2500 ram.


Not only noticed the damage to where she directly hit, but also damage to wheel well on opposite side where the axels shifted. Our electric tongue jack would not work after the accident when trying to disconnect to have unit towed, but there was electricity to the trailer, as the stabilizer jacks would operate and the tail lights were still functioning.
waiting for the insurance adjuster to call me but would like some input from anyone with the unfortunate experience of being in an accident.

Concerns:

1.besides the obvious direct damage, should I be concerned about internal damage due to the way the trailer nearly overturned? The last thing we want is for them to fix the obvious damage, then get the unit back and our first camp after to have internal issues, leaks etc. occur. I can already envision the washing of the insurance hands from responsibility of these less obvious issues. I am thinking about the non-functioning electric tongue jack that is far from the site of the "damage"

2. we had several long weekend, and 1 week long vacation planned in the next two months. Is the at fault's insurance responsible for providing us a rental so we are not inconvenienced for the next few months?

3. our dishes, coffee pot fell out of cabinets and broke. Are they obligated to replace these items?

4. Should I get an attorney?

bottom line, we are new to this and I have quickly realized an rv is not as simple as an auto accident, where one drives a rental car for a few weeks while the car is fixed. This could take months

Any advice greatly appreciated.


Craig

Glad everyone was OK, and sorry to hear of the accident. Were it me, I would take pictures and write down all the details of the accident, and contact an attorney. Our experience with insurance companies is they don't take the customer seriously until an attorney gets involved. Good luck

[Big Bill]

being hit that hard could upset all kindsof things that you cant tell until you are using it again, maybe youll be lucky and it will be totaled and not be depricated to bad ,good luck

[hillsdaletc]

I have lots of experience repairing RV's and dealing with the insurance companies. and as someone has said different states insurances are not the same.
But if as you say your axles were pushed all the way past the fenders on the other side of the trailer, I would have to look very closely at the frame and axle hangers for stress cracks. There is no give sideways to the suspension system. Get it to a GOOD repair facility in your area who is experienced in RV collision work. Then let your insurance company know that you want them to inspect all four corner areas. What can happen in this type of construction ,is that the trailer box will be pushed out of square and the fall back. Inspect very closely the sealer running along the vertical corner moldings and inspect the four ceiling corners for expansion or movement. look along the cabinets for separation or movement.
again be very slow and precise at any settlement. If nesc. have several shops look at it. (Best) . Good luck.

[coupevillefish]

If they do repair it, make sure the insurance Co AND the shop provide a lifetime warranty. We had a major repair on a small TT with this as backup. After a couple thousand miles, we started noticing tired wear. They replaced the axle and the tire adding more than 10% to the original estimate.

BTW, The insurance estimate was done without seeing the trailer. It was based on my description and pictures and was within 2% of the final total eccluding the axle..

[uhduh camping]

I am not familiar with this RV or RV collision work, but being a collision tech for good number of years. I will say that at best it is going to be total frame replacement for starters. Alignment of axles would be a nightmare. Destroying tires if not done properly. Rims and axles would also need to be checked for bent hubs. Those two items alone would be getting darn close to a loss.