Semi rear ends trailer with kid inside.

Thanks. Then I'm not sure about the laws. Just good to hear the kid is ok

pira114 wrote:
Wait. Was it Ohio or Indiana?

Absolutely Ohio by less than a quarter of a mile.

Wait. Was it Ohio or Indiana?

camperforlife wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
After reading more, and more thoroughly, I wonder about the actual facts. One place states there was a 12 year old girl riding in the trailer, and another place it states that it was a male teenager. Ah, journalism. Or at least what passes for journalism today.

You believe general info posts fom the internet on the laws of Indiana yet you don't believe a quote from the officer "Sgt Simmons said the drivers of the semi and the pickup will be cited. He noted that in Ohio and Indiana, it is illegal for anyone to ride in a camper that is being towed."

I will find out for a fact if it is allowed, I am very good friend of the Superintendent of the Indiana State Police and have sent him a message. I will update tomorrow when he responds.

I've looked into it. It appears the driver of the truck towing the 5th wheel may have been cited erroneously. It'll get worked out in traffic court.

The news got a LOT of this story wrong in the beginning. It happens.

The cops seem to have gotten the citation wrong. Which happens all the time. Believe me, I am one. There are so many codes, it's impossible to know them. Not hard to misinterprete one like this.

This happened in Ohio. Here are the Ohio rules for RVs. Note...it WAS illegal:

Ohio

Size limitations: Height, 13'6"; Width, 8'6"; Trailer Length, 40'; Motorhome Length, 45'; Combined Length, 65'.

Required equipment: Safety chain, breakaway switch, brakes required on trailers with gross weight rating of 2,000 pounds.

Triple towing is permitted if total maximum combined length of 65' is not exceeded. Passengers may ride in pickup camper only. Overnight parking is not permitted in state rest areas.

This is just common sense. A pickup vehicle is more safely sound than a stapled-together RV. Why take chances?

down home wrote:
Life is fraught with danger.
Don't ride an ATV. They're too dangerous.
Don't ride a horse. They can be tempermental and can kill you.
Dont jog through the national forest. The bears will get you.
Don't ride a bike with helmet, elbow pads, knee pads and training It is irresponsible for Parents to let kids ride bikes without protection, wak to the park, play baseball, play on the jungle gymn.The flying jennie should be outlawed.
Get rid of swings. They're just too dangerous.
You'll shoot your eye out with that.
Don't rid in the back of the pickup you'll go flying out. How many have rode many miles to go fishing hunting, to the store, in Basic Training, in Nam etc in the back of a pickup or duce an half, 3/4 ton.
You'll get killed if you don't wear a seat belt.
You'll get killed by a seat belt.
Kids shouldn't have knives. Grand Kids ask you to take the steak knife away, it is too dangerous, Thanks schools.
Don't look out the window in a thunder storm, you'll get hit.
Don't let the kid or adult sleep in the Fifth wheel/trailer, the truck is safer when a semi, boulder,train, hits.

Couldn't agree more! By today's standards, I should have never seen my fifth birthday, let alone my fiftieth.

fj12ryder wrote:
After reading more, and more thoroughly, I wonder about the actual facts. One place states there was a 12 year old girl riding in the trailer, and another place it states that it was a male teenager. Ah, journalism. Or at least what passes for journalism today.

You believe general info posts fom the internet on the laws of Indiana yet you don't believe a quote from the officer "Sgt Simmons said the drivers of the semi and the pickup will be cited. He noted that in Ohio and Indiana, it is illegal for anyone to ride in a camper that is being towed."

I will find out for a fact if it is allowed, I am very good friend of the Superintendent of the Indiana State Police and have sent him a message. I will update tomorrow when he responds.

Life is fraught with danger.
Don't ride an ATV. They're too dangerous.
Don't ride a horse. They can be tempermental and can kill you.
Dont jog through the national forest. The bears will get you.
Don't ride a bike with helmet, elbow pads, knee pads and training It is irresponsible for Parents to let kids ride bikes without protection, wak to the park, play baseball, play on the jungle gymn.The flying jennie should be outlawed.
Get rid of swings. They're just too dangerous.
You'll shoot your eye out with that.
Don't rid in the back of the pickup you'll go flying out. How many have rode many miles to go fishing hunting, to the store, in Basic Training, in Nam etc in the back of a pickup or duce an half, 3/4 ton.
You'll get killed if you don't wear a seat belt.
You'll get killed by a seat belt.
Kids shouldn't have knives. Grand Kids ask you to take the steak knife away, it is too dangerous, Thanks schools.
Don't look out the window in a thunder storm, you'll get hit.
Don't let the kid or adult sleep in the Fifth wheel/trailer, the truck is safer when a semi, boulder,train, hits.

After reading more, and more thoroughly, I wonder about the actual facts. One place states there was a 12 year old girl riding in the trailer, and another place it states that it was a male teenager. Ah, journalism. Or at least what passes for journalism today.

Would have liked to see how the 5er truck combination initially came to rest. Did the hitch separate from the truck in the crash, or was that done by the crew working to clean up the mess. Was the gas turned on and the refrigerator running when the accident took place? My 5er has propane tanks on both sides of the rig, so you wouldn't have been able to shut off the gas if it was laying on it's side like that. Never really thought about it before but it's kind of interesting that the ac units broke free and fell off. Kind of wonder if that was in initial impact with the truck, or when the rig tipped over. Would have liked to seen pictures of how the tow vehicle looked and whether or not it ended up on it's side too.

I'm also a little curious as to how the rescue folks determined where to cut that access hole into the roof. Was it random, could they see into the trailer to figure out where to cut etc.

As for the riding in the trailer debate, I don't even like riding in a motorhome because of what might happen in a crash with all the contents flying around. Can't imagine the chaos that took place in that 5er