Monday, July 25, 2016

Really Done It This Time

Posted from Essex Junction, VT (Escapees Rally)
(Click on pictures to enlarge)

Well, I finally did it.  After 6 years of careful driving in our rig, I managed to have a collision.  Thankfully not a collision with another vehicle or person, but contact with an inanimate object which was just sitting there minding its' own business.

When we travel, we always use truck stops to refuel.  I like to know that I'll be able to get in and out of their stations without problems. So, I broke our own rule on this one.  We were headed to the Escapees National Rally in Essex Junction, VT on Saturday, July 23rd. Unfortunately, in this part of the country there seem to be no large truck stops (Pilot, FJ, Loves, etc.) to refuel.

I had tried to do my homework to find a diesel station close to the Escapade.  That seemed to be the Mobil station just off of Interstate 89 in Winooski, VT.  I used Google Earth to get a "birds eye" view of the station and it seemed possible to use as a stop.

A couple of mistakes on my part. Since they advertised as having diesel, I assumed that diesel pumps would be available on at least 2 islands at the station.  That was not the case.

As I pulled into the station from the main road, a single vehicle was blocking the pump at the far right end. No problem I thought, I'll just pull thru, go around the rear of the station, and use the diesel pump on the other end (where the white car is located in the first photo.)

Well, there is no diesel pump over there.  It turns out that the only diesel pump is on the far right end of the station as I initially pulled from the highway. So now I have to circle the front of the station and get back to the original pump again.

At the time of the collision with the fixed metal post, there were two vehicles parked parallel to the highway at the front of the station. I attempted to turn around the post, miss the cars, and head back to the other side of the station. Doing fine until this pole "jumped" out and bit the side of the rig.

Backed away from the pole, but the damage was already done. We did manage to get fuel, however. Probably the most expensive fuel stop I'll ever make!


We continued the 3 miles to the Escapade and got set up. It gave me a chance to take a closer look at the damages. It's a lot more than cosmetic.


The greatest intrusion was to the compartment just in front of the DS wheel.  Of course this happens to be our "wet bay" where the connections for the water and sewer are made.


You might be able to see that the door was forced both back and up thus preventing us access to the compartment. With the aid of several other folks here at the Escapade we managed to at least get this door open which allowed us to connect to the water line. I can foresee the use of a LOT of duct tape in our future to limp in for repairs.

Speaking of repairs, I contacted our insurance company shortly after arriving at the Escapade. I received a return call in short order from a repr. at Progressive's claims center. I explained to her that we are fulltimers and would really like to get the rig repaired in Red Bay, AL. This is at the Tiffin Service Center and we'll hopefully be using a body and paint shop which I trust there.  She didn't have a problem with that and would attempt to have an adjuster come to the Escapade on Monday (today) and get the paperwork rolling on this claim.  I also advised her that we would be in this location until Friday (end of the Escapade).

Well, of course, we've run into our first little hiccup.  We received a call from the claims person late on Monday afternoon and she advised that her adjuster would not be available anytime this week. Her advise now is to wait until we get back to Red Bay, AL and to have a local adjuster come out at that time.

I really don't have any problem with that, other than it will just slow down the initial process of getting us into the shops.

Looks like the rest of the summer is going to be shot with an extended stay in Red Bay in our future. Think about it, what better place to be than in the south in August (and maybe September)?  Yes, I am being very sarcastic at this point.

Other than this, we're enjoying a good time at the 56th Escapees Escapade.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!

26 comments:

  1. I'll pray for you guys that everything works out without further complications.

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  2. We know how wounded you feel but it's going to be just fine and you're going to look like rock stars going down the road again. Let's look at the bright side.... you may be in town for the RB Founder's Fest...again. See you there.

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    1. Marty, actually we had planned to be in Red Bay during the Founder's Fest with Paul and Laura (our friends we winter over with in AZ). We just didn't expect to be coming in SO early.

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  3. I know well the station you went to, used to use it often as they usually had the best prices. So sorry for your mishap and that you have to endure AL in August.

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  4. Welcome to the club. On my previous MH (Adventurer) I bought it in Dec 2002, it was a 2003 model. I was driving it back to the dealer on a dark Dec night for the installation of a $5 part left out on the construction. I got hit in the side by a car that had just left a gas station and the lady forgot to turn on her headlights so I made a left turn in front of her because I didn't see her. Her car hit me just behind the right front wheel, then spun around and hit me again just in front of the rear wheels. No one was hurt but the damage to my MH topped over $20K. It wasn't fun cracking up a new 2003 MH when it still was 2002.

    All repairs were made and we put the "speed bump" behind us and enjoyed that MH for the next five years.

    They say there are two kinds of RVers, those that have dinged and dented their RVs, and those that haven't...YET! :c)

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    1. Thanks Paul for trying to make me feel a bit better, however, at least you had a bit of an excuse (the lady w/o headlights). I, on the other hand, should have been paying closer attention.

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  5. My first scrapes were up in this area. NE accommodations are tight for big vehicles.

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  6. Sorry to hear about you coach and I might say how dumb can you get if I hadn't done the same thing twice to our coach and learned that those metal posts to protect things do an outstanding job - I ended up using duct tape to hold on my end cap from Florida home the first time and damaged doors like you the second time. Needless to say I'm super careful and very patient now at fueling places and use only truck stops with plenty of room.

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    1. Trust me, Larry, if there had been a regular truck stop anywhere nearby I would never have been at this station. We leave Friday, so I guess I'll get to try out the holding strength of duct tape. It's a long trip to AL.

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  7. we had our first this past spring coming north out of florida trying to get gas at a local station, an unseen tree branch decided to clear the stuff on top of the front of the roof off, yep... most expensive gas we have bought!!!

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  8. That's a huge bummer, sorry! We fill up mostly at regular gas stations and it's usually fine, but we've had a couple of close calls. Hope it gets repaired quickly for you. At least you have a sense of humor about it. That's gotta help some.

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    1. I have a feeling we're going to get to know Red Bay, AL even better than we do now.

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  9. Sorry to hear about the damage. If you have driven this long and its the first, you are doing good. I had a similar experience with a rock at a turn in a state park, and until I got it fixed, I thought every time I passed anybody, especially an RV, that they were talking and laughing about me!!!

    If you are thinking about Deatons, I would call and talk to them. They are really good about blocking out a time period to slide with your appraisal timing. Just some unsolicited advice. Deaton's reputation is causing him to be busy, and less flexible than a few years ago.

    Safe travels,
    Richard

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    1. Yes it looks like it will be a joint effort by the service center and Deaton's (hopefully). Also broke the floor under our wet bay, so that's also going to have to be replaced. I know that Bruce is a busy guy. We'll try to get with him as soon as practical.

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  10. Left Red Bay Saturday. Had Bruce Deaton do some painting for us. 4 years ago he also made our wet bay and electrical compartment doors swing out, not up. Somewhat good news, saw the local Progressive Ins. adjuster somewhere every day the week we were there. Should not have to wait on the adjuster. Richard

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    1. Thanks for the info. about Progressive. We leave Burlington, VT after the Escapade this Friday. The claims person from Progressive stated that they would not be able to get an adjuster out here before we leave. Kind of hard to believe.

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  11. Well you have company in this situation Steve. At our 6 year mark, 22 July, our trailer and truck met the other in an unnatural way in Maine. A bent C-pillar and shattered rear window, duck tape and trash bag later we headed to Virginia. Never assume when removing the wheel chocks.

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    1. Sorry to hear from a fellow "crasher" Daniel. Yes, I think the side of our rig will be pretty ugly on the way back to AL.

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  12. Oh crap man!!! That's the pits. Hope you can sleep at night for the next few days and your repairs are painless .

    Dave & Diane

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  13. There is is a Pheaton next to me in bay 33 at Tiffin service center with the same repair from a gas station

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  14. Ugh - I hate that! I thought you did a masterful job taping it up for the trip to Red Bay. Hopefully they will get it fixed as good as new in short order. We have some dings of our own so we will be in Red Bay in a few weeks also for some body work and painting...

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  15. Hey Steve,

    Sorry to read of the damage to the rig. At least no physical injuries only hurt feelings. I'll winter somewhere in AZ after touring along the West coast. Thanks for the advice, I will slow down. Lots to catch up on when I see you. Stay safe and see you soon. :-)

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  16. I can relate in October I did something similar while pulling into my inlaws drive way. Narrow gate and I caught a hinge and scraped my bays also.

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