What a Short Strange Trip it’s been!

[Centex]

Preface with again, I'm glad all are OK.

Monday morning speculating, I wonder how this would have played out with aluminum wheels? I doubt they would have failed in the 'stud pull-through' manner the steelies did, but might have fractured with the same result, fractured and come-off on the driver or both sides, or maybe none would have totally failed at all (?)

Cast aluminum having very little capacity to stretch / tear but being brittle relative to steel.

 

[Koi-Kid]

It's hard telling with Cast wheels, I have seen some at tire shops in the junk pile. One of the driver side wheels is bent pretty good checking the side view pulling it off the HY it looked like one of the cartoons with the wheel that wobbles real bad!


Finally got the accident report today and they must not charge anyone any more that's at fault. It stated he lost control of his vehicle.
A friend in Okla got rear ended at a stop light in his nearly new truck by a lady and it destroyed the bed of the truck. No ticket issued to her?

 

[Mike G]

It's a strange world with a strange bunch of drivers. My son was at a stop light in the left turn lane. The 17 year old kid behind him was stopped, too. Suddenly the kid punched the gas and smacked my son's car, and the light had not changed! The kid was as flummoxed as my son. Just not paying attention and thought the light had turned.



The body shop repair took more than a month, mainly because the insurance company was trying to nickel and dime the shop and micro-manage the repair.

 

[Selkirk]

Wow....that's quite an incident!

The fact that your 21 sustained a broadside hit of that nature, remained controllable after the collision, and survived the ordeal in repairable condition without catastrophic damage to either the frame or shell speaks volumes about the resiliency of ETI trailers!

I have to agree that the WD hitch must have played an important role in maintaining control. Were you using a Fastway E2?

I was towing my E19 home yesterday along a 2-lane highway (going 102-103 in a 100km/h zone) when a vehicle attempted to pass both myself and a truck/camper that was following me....on a blind curve.

He made it past the truck behind me and was along side my trailer when he finally saw the oncoming traffic immediately ahead. The passing vehicle managed to brake and tuck itself in between the truck and my trailer....avoiding a collision by maybe couple hundred feet at most.

It would have been messy.....

 

[Ron in BC]

The fact that your 21 sustained a broadside hit of that nature, remained controllable after the collision,

I think that there was a huge amount of good luck involved. A hit further aft could have set off a horrible chain of events sending the rear of the trailer sideways initiating a disastrous amount of violent sway.

It was a nasty and unusual accident so it's nice that there was some good luck involved.

Ron

 

[Koi-Kid]

Yes I was using Fast way E2 did find one trunion bar bowed at hitch end and the Conical washers had been slid on hitch so added both trunions and bolt kit for the hitch to the claim.
Now if the impact would have been in front or to the rear of the axils i believe there would have been substantial fiberglass shell damage and the possibility of total of the trailer and if to the back of the wheels a violent swerve of the trailer causing loss of control of both trailer and TV with a major pile up and possible injury's.

 

[Koi-Kid]

I think that there was a huge amount of good luck involved. A hit further aft could have set off a horrible chain of events sending the rear of the trailer sideways initiating a disastrous amount of violent sway.

It was a nasty and unusual accident so it's nice that there was some good luck involved.

Quite so Ron Luck was on our side!

The campout we were going to was a motorcycle get together that I used to go to almost each year untill we moved to TX 11 years ago. A friend & I thought maybe God trying to keep me from Talihina OK!
The last time I was at the camp out 13 years ago I took an unscheduled Dirt Nap along the roadside. Two friends and I were riding to a town about 40 miles away and I was tail bike. My friend ahead of me all of a sudden didn't see my headlight any more and slowed up but never saw it so turned around to see where I was & the same for the lead friend turned around after not seeing headlights.
When the first guy reached me I was off the road and a guy with a truck was shaking my shoulder asking me if I wanted help picking my bike up? I had no idea what he was talking about and I had a close up view of dirt and grass out my visor. We could not figure out what had happened or how but I don't remember any thing but my friends brake light up ahead to make a turn and the guy shaking my shoulder!



The one other time I crashed in 37 years of cross country touring I remember it very clearly like it was all in slow motion!


So I got busy and didn't have much time for riding and decided maybe I needed to find a new hobby? and after camping down here for 3 weeks in a tent we both decided tent camping was getting tough especially for the wife. A couple years later I discovered the Casita.

 

[Ron in BC]

The one other time I crashed in 37 years of cross country touring I remember it very clearly like it was all in slow motion!

Oh, the slow motion reference brings back memories. No more cross country for me either but I still go out for coffee on my Goldwing.

On the trailer repair. I don't know where the repair shop is planning on sourcing gelcoat. ETI does send out gelcoat and I'd recommend getting it from them for a perfect match.

Ron

 

[Koi-Kid]

Well the shop was talking with ETI about it and he is an Escape owner himself and that's what he plans on using for a match up.


I sold off 2 of my bikes before we moved down here but still have 3 BMW's and ride one to go get the mail sometimes in the neighborhood. There's to many dudes with pickups on the HY outside our subdivision that drive like crazy people and fast and faster is their game.

 

[Koi-Kid]

Wow....that's quite an incident!

The fact that your 21 sustained a broadside hit of that nature, remained controllable after the collision, and survived the ordeal in repairable condition without catastrophic damage to either the frame or shell speaks volumes about the resiliency of ETI trailers!

I have to agree that the WD hitch must have played an important role in maintaining control. Were you using a Fastway E2?


It would have been messy.....

Now it starts to get Messy! The driver that hit us called today and said they are wanting to do a "Economic Total Loss" of our trailer now! Said the $97XX.xx repair estimate is to high! I tried to explain to him this is not a stick trailer! So I sent him and their own Appraiser several sites and links to educate them selves before their own appraiser comes. You know then they are going to want to Low Ball the price! So now we wait again before we can get started on the repair.

 

[Rockhead]

Just tell them if that what they want then they need to pay the cost for a new 21. Either pay the 9700.00 or 46 to 48 thousand for the replacement escape. Unfortunately looks like it lawyer time to deal with them

 

[Koi-Kid]

Yea I will play them out a while, they even mentioned going to my insurance dealer to recoup the other amount? I told him why would I do that? It was their customer that caused the accident and did the damage to the trailer, Not my fault!
I did call my agent just to bring him up to speed on it and he said don't say anything about handing it over to an Attorney until the last straw because they wont be talking to you any more and if they do it will take for ever to get a response!

Between now and when their adjuster comes I will be sending both of them lots of email with links and value examples just for their reading pleasure and Education!

 

[jjdeluca]

Some of these insurance companies are ridiculous, trying to lowball you on legitimate repairs or drag out payments. I'd think they'd want to settle & close out your claim ASAP, before you start having "back or neck pains" from the accident - which could really cost them some $$$$.
But seriously, glad there were no injuries involved.
Jim

 

[Ron in BC]

Between now and when their adjuster comes I will be sending both of them lots of email with links and value examples just for their reading pleasure and Education!

Sorry that this wrinkle has popped up but you're doing the right thing. They always try and pick off easy targets and unfortunately some folks panic and take the first offer.

Hopefully, after they've been "educated" they'll realize the true market value of the trailer and how it's worth repairing.

Ron