Long story..kinda more fulltimer than HDT but so what?

[Big5er]

Ok, this is a bit off topic but not totally. It probably could go in the fulltimer section but I rarely post there.

I do not want to debate the crash, the facts of it or the factors involved. Since none of us were actually there, there is not much we can add to the crash. I am more interested in the aftermath, as it would affect us all.

I met an older couple from Arkansas the other day. They were driving a 2014 crew cab Ford F-250 and pulling a 2015 38-40 ft toy hauler. The known facts of their crash were they were exiting one freeway on a fly-over and entering another freeway. The fly-over they were on was a two lane exit from the current freeway that split at the top with the left lane going east and the right lane going west. They were in the left lane, heading east. As they reached the split, the Dodge Charger in the right lane suddenly cuts them off as that driver decided he suddenly wanted to go east too. The lanes, after the east/west split are only wide enough for one vehicle, having a very limited shoulder. The Charger was at, oh let’s just guess, a 45 degree angle when the F-250 hit it on the driver’s side, shoving it into and onto the retaining wall at the point where the lanes separate. Ok, so we now have damage to the RF headlight and fender of the F-250 which also damages the steering capabilities of the truck. The impact spins the Charger around, and it re-impacts the F-250 in the area where the cab and bed meet, causing damage to both the cab and the bed. By this time, the Charger is on its side and the truck runs up and over part of it. The violent uplift on the rear of the truck causes an impact between the rear of the bed/tailgate and the trailer. The upside down/sideways Charger begins its impact with the trailer around the storage compartment. It somehow misses the entry door and then crushes in the area where the slide-out is. The entry steps and the hydraulic ram that pushes the front end of the slide suffer major damage, bending the nice shiny rod where it enters that ram.  The slide-out wall also has this strange curve to it now. The Charger continues sliding down the side of the trailer, damaging the fiberglass, the fender skirt, the rear entry door and finally the rear molding around the rear side marker light. In other works, the entire length of the trailer.

The Harley Davidson inside the toy hauler is undamaged but the truck and the trailer are, no pun intended, utter wrecks.

The entire unit is towed to the RV repair shop where I reside and this is my only involvement, as an interested RV’er and a off-duty cop.

The two vehicles were separated and the truck was towed to the local Ford dealer. The couple and their dog leave with the tow truck, expecting to get a rental vehicle there. Luckily they have kinfolk a few hundred miles away (his or her brother).  They return the next day with a rental trailer to get the Harley and other belongings.

Now, I have no knowledge of the details with the truck. It “appeared” to be repairable but if anyone has been to a body shop after a crash, it isn’t happening quickly.

The trailer is going to take even longer. You cannot just call “Ford” and get estimates on all the parts. Every part on a trailer part was made by some other manufacturer so it seems. The time involved to get an estimate is long….weeks, and then there is the insurance involvement and approval time. And then there is repair time. All of this ASSUMES that the trailer is not totaled. 

I put the deposit down on my custom ordered DRV in January. I “hope” to actually get it next month. That is SIX months. I do not know how long some of you waited for your custom trailers and I am sure that some of you bought straight off a lot or from an individual like Rocky and Sheri.

My point of discussion is for other fulltimers: What the heck (y’all thought I was gonna say something else, didn’t ya?) do you do in the interim? That time between crash and repair? What do you do if your “custom” trailer is totaled? I am waiting 6 months for mine. Where do you live for 6 months? Do you just say “oh well” and buy something off the lot to replace your custom home? Do you rent a house? Live in a hotel? Mooch off of relatives? Live in the sleeper of your HDT (if it’s not wrecked too)? Maybe in a tent under an overpass? 

Has anyone ever pondered this sort of disaster? Any solutions? These poor folks from Arkansas are still technically homeless. I know their trailer is still here but nothing more. I don’t know if they still have a stick and bricks somewhere in Arkansas or not.  I know that this story will not deter me from traveling but it is a scary idea. I have been thinking about it for almost 3 weeks now. I still don’t know what I would do. Anybody?

[chirakawa]

I'm afraid I'd have to rent a furnished apartment.  Might even consider a furnished beach cabin and try to turn the whole experience into something positive.

The one time I did have to get extensive repairs where I couldn't stay in the trailer, I stayed with a family member.  That got old fast and after the week was up we were both ready to move on. 

 

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

I would think that the at-fault party's insurance would have to pay for lodging.  But explaining that the RV is your home is going to take time.  Maybe NH, Spacecraft, or in your case RR would "Lend/rent" you one of their trade in units until your was repaired or replaced.

I'm surprised nothing went over the barrier of the flyover.... some of those suckers are TALL....

[BlueLghtning]

This is interesting for sure. For my wife and I, once we are on the road, I'm still going to be working on the road so something like this would be a set back in our travels, but I would quickly have to find a place to live/work if the assumption is our TV and/or trailer both needed to be repaired or replaced. If say the trailer was totaled, then of course we would be shopping for a replacement, but ours isn't custom so probably not quite as tough as someone that ordered a custom one. I think in our case it would be a bit tougher if our HDT was totalled and couldn't be fixed. I think it would be a lot harder finding an HDT to replace our current one. Since we'll only be traveling with motorcycles as backup vehicles that makes carrying anything of size tougher too if we lose our TV. 

If we were displaced for a certain amount a time, renting a furnished apt was mentioned, but I think airbnb might work out pretty well, especially if you wanted to be able to continue to move around a bit. We would also have some family to fall back on too if needed, but that would only be a short term solution. 

Interesting things to think about. 

[noteven]

The "best" scenario in this situation would be to have my home on wheels totaled, receive a quick settlement, and buy another one. 

Meanwhile I would be in a tent in the back yard at the kids... 

Less than best is a long drawn out repair.... 

Due to motorcycles I don't get that fussy about the details of my house-on-wheels .   A bike ride fixes a lot of "issues" 

It would be different for those who are working full time and dealing with those stresses and pressures - you want your abode to be what you want... 

[Hot Rod]

23 minutes ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

I would think that the at-fault party's insurance would have to pay for lodging.  But explaining that the RV is your home is going to take time.  Maybe NH, Spacecraft, or in your case RR would "Lend/rent" you one of their trade in units until your was repaired or replaced.

I'm surprised nothing went over the barrier of the flyover.... some of those suckers are TALL....

Yes, in the case like this where the other motorist is clearly (we assume) responsible, then their insurer's responsibility is to make you whole, which would include arranging for appropriate accomodations.  Same as providing you a rental car while your car is in the body shop.  Couple of problems.  Their definition of appropriate accomodations will almost certainly differ from yours, and there will be some sort of limit they will try to place on the timeframe.  And of course their definition of the value of your custom rv.  You can guarantee lawyers will be involved.  And that is assuming that the other driver is adequately insured for that maginitude of a claim.  It will be FAR in excess of any state mininimum liability policy, and likely in excess of even the larger policy most responsible drivers carry.  About the only way this is getting paid in full is if the owner is lucky and got hit by a wealthy or smart individual that carries a large umbrella policy.  Which is not likely.  At which point it gets kicked back to the RV owner's insurerer under uninsured/underinsured motorist.  Now you are in a whole different situation dealing with your own insurer vs. the other party.  With your own insurer there is no requirement to make you whole, only the strict letter of what your own policy covers.  So if it says you get a rental car for 5 days, that's it, too bad.  Etc, etc, etc.

So the takeaway would be to make sure your own policy has uninsured/underinsured coverage in an amount high enough to cover a complete loss and expenses as this case may turn out to be.  I'm wondering if there is some sort of hybrid policy available to a full timer that combines elements of automotive and homeowners' policies?  For example a homeowners policy typically includes povisions for lengthy stays in alternative lodging in the case of a large loss like a fire.

Any yeah, it is a looong way down from some of those flyovers.  I'm not a fan.  So I slow down a judicious amount and keep a big eye open for what all the other idiots on the road are up to.

[VegasFlyer]

Phil,

I ran your question by my resident insurance expert, DW, who has been in insurance adjusting and litigation for over 18 years.  She said that the exact answer would depend heavily on who the at fault party would be determined to be. 

Generally, if it was the other party at fault, the other parties insurance would cover the repair or replacement of your vehicle, plus the cost of your temporary living expenses, up to the limit of the policy.  After that, it MAY be covered by your policy under uninsured or underinsured provision, up to that limit.

She said that there is no universal answer, that it would take a review of your policy to give a definitive answer.

Rocky went through something similar with his hail loss.  He may be able to chime in and say how it effected him.

[beyerjf]

This scenario is not unlike suffering a major loss at your home, like a fire that more or less guts the place. It would be just as hard and time consuming to replace/repair it, if we were to compare apples to apples, a nice custom home that had architectural details that took months to get in the original design would be compatible to the custom RV, with similar lead times.

How you would handle it, take the insurance payoff and compromise on a replacement, or go through the hassle of living in temporary quarters until the exact replacement could be ordered and built would be a tough decision.  Neither is palatable.  

An RV getting totaled in an accident is a rare event, relative to the total miles traveled in these things. Don't dwell on it, and just drive defensively to minimize the risk. Also, no one got hurt, the only real consolation in this story. 

[jkoenig24]

MOST of us shop insurance primarily by price and, many of us, just by sheer dumb luck, never have to find out how bad a choice it is that we've made.  A situation like this is when you'll find out just how good YOUR insurance agent really is. ALL agents are great BEFORE you sign. A truly great agent will "go the extra mile" for you once the SHTF. There are all sorts of resources out there and, a truly great agent will be aware of many (most?) of them. Even if said truly great agent only points you in the right direction (educating you as to questions you should ask, avenues you should explore etc) the agent will have a clear head (when you probably won't) and, can be an invaluable guide and advocate in getting you back to normalcy. I'll say a prayer for those poor folks.

[HERO Maker]

Well, in my situation Mother Nature can't be sued and she has a lousy insurance policy!  The 2 inch hail that totaled our Teton, did the same with the whole city we were in.  The ins. co. sent someone out pretty quickly and then they pretty quickly totaled the unit instead of replacing the roof!  That was a surprise, but really turned into a blessing.  About two weeks after the 2" hail, 5" hail hit and really did a number on the rig, with lots of water getting into it. The damage starting showing up while I was in a two month argument over value of the Teton with our Ins.

Two things I had going for me:

1.  The guy at the ins. co. was forwarding what he was getting from the "appraisal" company.

2.  John's DW had a couple of conversations with me regarding the process and what to expect, while at the same time telling me to stand my ground if I found things weren't right.

After discovering that the "appraisal" company had a real tough time comparing apples to apples, and after reversing their own formulas they used for lowering the value of mine, I started an email campaign.

I did get everybody's email address and started tearing apart the "appraisals" point by point explaining why a certain item was not a comparable.  Plus why their value formula sucked, and if used in reverse to figure an item that I didn't have (like an extra bedroom) which they used to lower my value, then their numbers really didn't make any sense.

Now this was over a 2 month period, and I had plenty of time (which not everybody does, as I was just weeks out from knee replacement and feeling the strength of the drugs).  So with my presenting everything I had and further explaining how incompetent the process had been, I finally closed my email campaign with the following statement:

It is obvious that the appraisal company (CCC) is working for the Ins. Co. and that in fact no one in the Ins. Co. is working for me.  Therefore I will need to seek representation working on our behalf if this cannot be resolved to our liking.

15 minutes later, a new proposal was presented to me raising the amount of Total Payoff from 40K to 60K.

That was acceptable.

Yes, we could have claimed other expenses, like storage fees of all of the stuff in the Teton, while we lived out of the truck (and hotels) as we traveled the country looking for another home, but did not.  Maybe some of the hotel fees could have been taken care of, and I believe that if I would have pushed it harder from the start, maybe the length of that process could have been shorter.  But we were pleased with the outcome.

I just kept remember the words of John's wife, "Don't just settle".

[HERO Maker]

By the way John, still look forward to meeting you and your bride somewhere along the road someday, so we can take you both out for a great dinner.

[bockofma]

Good evening, Phil.

As fulltimers, we had a not totally dissimilar situation occur last year.  While we were travelling between Florida and Colorado, we had equipment failure on our home (5th wheel) that that resulted in several thousand dollars worth of damage, and a relatively lengthy period of time for repair.

We left our HDT at the RV repairing organization, took the absolutely minimal essentials from home, and drove a car to Colorado.  Once there we rented a one-room "apartment" for the two months it took to complete repairs.   I then flew back to Austin, Texas, (where the repairs were accomplished), and brought our rig back home.

The end results were firstly, our insurance company, Blue Sky at that time, reimbursed us for all repairs and our accommodation expenses.  Blue Sky then subrogated the claim to the offending manufacture who accepted responsibility, and they reimbursed us for the balance of our outlay (airfare, etc.) resulting from the failure.

This was a good-news story.  However, if our rig had been totaled I almost get exhausted just thinking about having to move everything out of our home, put that "stuff" into storage somewhere, find a replacement HDT and home, and all of that probably taking several months...

Nevertheless, as stated previous, s--t happens.  Whether its "us" as fulltimers, or somebody living in a stick-and-brick.  We somehow get beyond those periods of time, and "keep on keeping on."  Life is always interesting...

Regards,

Michael

[theeyres]

We certainly didn't have that kind of disaster but we did have one that put us off the road for a couple months while our fiver was repaired. It was a major $$ repair and after some search for the best shop we told the one we selected we'd like a loaner for the duration of the repair...placed in a park...certainly not on the road. They gave us an older pull trailer, set it up in the park of our choice and didn't charge us a dollar. We of course had to pay for the space but when you are full timing that is an expense you incur, anyway.

True, we spent two unplanned months in Boise, ID, but you just go with the flow. No complaints.

[VegasFlyer]

11 hours ago, HERO Maker said:

By the way John, still look forward to meeting you and your bride somewhere along the road someday, so we can take you both out for a great dinner.

Rocky,

We look forward to meeting you and Sheri too.  

As it stands right now, we are hoping to make a trip back to Michigan to pick up a new Toyhauler in early October and make it to Hutchison for the National Rally.  Does it look like you guys will be making it?

[VegasFlyer]

A couple of general items that I have learned from my wife, which to,be quite honest, I had never given much thought before meeting her, is the areas of uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, as well as living expense coverage.

With the majority of states have such minimal coverage, compared to the values of some of our vehicles, it is paramount that your coverage for uninsured and underinsured be as high, if not higher than your liability and comprehensive coverage.

While everyone generally clearly understands uninsured coverage, few realize the importance of underinsured coverage.  If you take the scenario which Phil described and the driver of the Charger had minimal coverage, say 15k bodily / 30k total bodily and 10k property, it is quite obvious that you could blow through that 10k quicker than Phil can open a can of Dr. Pepper.  Without underinsured coverage, your only recourse would be to sue the other driver.  Good luck with that, tell us how it works out for ya....

With Underinsured coverage, you go to the other drivers limit and then your insurance kicks in, up to your limit and then your insurance company goes after the other driver.

Along those lines, it is imperative that you check your policy to determine that you have underinsured coverage.  With our last two policies, RLI and National General, both companies place a specific portion in the policy that specifically says that the term "Uninsured and Underinsured shall be synonymous".

The living expense provision is quite self explanatory, however, it is good to see what exactly is covered.

We have not seen the additional provisions written into a full-timer policy, though my wife believes there are provisions which are normally written into a home owner policy to cover items such as temporary living provisions.

 

[HERO Maker]

9 hours ago, VegasFlyer said:

Rocky,

We look forward to meeting you and Sheri too.  

As it stands right now, we are hoping to make a trip back to Michigan to pick up a new Toyhauler in early October and make it to Hutchison for the National Rally.  Does it look like you guys will be making it?

We should be there again.  We really like to get there early and even stay an extra couple of days. 

We know a nice dinner spot in Hutch!  It will be fun.

[Big5er]

Well, if nothing else, I have made some of us think about our own insurance coverage. We all know that the other guys insurance will not come close to making us "whole", not even close. Minimum insurance in my state might replace a nice Herrin bed, but that's about it. It certainly won't replace an HDT or my trailer. 

I hope that none of us ever find ourselves in this situation, but it can happen. 

See y'all in Hutch 

[HERO Maker]

And just as a reminder Phil, La Quinta hotels are pet friendly!  In case you need to spend a night or two.  Hopefully you're driving up to pick up that trailer and spend a few days there with it while you live in it.

Take care friend.

And thanks for serving.

[Big5er]

Thanks Rocky. 

Last I checked it had been painted. I am "expecting" to get it in mid June. 

See ya in Kansas.

[Star Dreamer]

30 minutes ago, Big5er said:

Thanks Rocky. 

Last I checked it had been painted. I am "expecting" to get it in mid June. 

See ya in Kansas.

Phil, did you get them to modify your rear window so you could load your kayak inside?

Dave