Damage to fiver due to road construction

[Frmundr]

Monday, Memorial day May 27, we were s/b I55 in MS just north of exit 271 in Desoto Co going thru a construction zone. Cruise was set below the speed limit and I was in the right hand lane. We came off of a bridge and experienced a rather large drop in the road level. It was such a dramatic drop that it knocked my cruise control off. A few miles down the road I heard a knocking sound so we pulled over to find a metal panel had come loose from the front edge of the trailer and was banging against the side of the trailer. So there I am, on the side of I55 with my cordless drill doing a temp fix with a few screws. At the campsite I found that the panels on the other side of the trailer were now bulging away from the side in what looked like a bubble. There was a seem in the master br (in the front of the trailer) that had come apart between the wall panels and a part of the canopy arm had been knocked off where the arm hooks over to secure it for storage. I contacted MDOT and the referred me to Leahmon Roberts, who was contracted to do the construction. I have left a message for them and am awaiting a return phone call. Has anyone ever experienced something like this? What was the outcome?

Thanks
Tracy

[rhagfo]

noe-place wrote:
The contractor's argument is no doubt going to be they had signs posted saying "road construction ahead" or something similar. That they will say that should have been enough warning for a prudent driver to slow down. However I too have run over a few of those "bumps" and thought I was falling off a cliff. I was lucky that our MH suffered no damage.

Just construction Zone should be warning enough, likely "Bump" sign just before bridge transition.
I have also had damage from a real rough spot in the road, I now have a full set of shocks on the 5rt, and pay a little more attention to the road surface.

[coolbreeze01]

Must have missed the bump ahead sign?

[dodge_guy]

mpierce wrote:
Were there signs saying "road construction" or some such? If so, you need to be prepared for ANY possible road condition ahead.

Not picking on you, just fact of life.

Contact insurance agent. Best possible way to go. Doubt you will get anywhere with construction company or DOT. If posted, they are pretty clear.

Yes. uneven lanes, lane shift etc. etc. not beware ahead, serious vehicle damage will result!

[Oaklevel]

Extremely dangerous to drive it a construction area with cruise on....... Good way to kill some one or yourself.............. sorry I investigate deaths in construction zones all the time........SLOW DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!................. Hope you learned a lesson............ Sorry I am so blunt about this.............

[Dave_H_M]

sounds like you got some serious structural probs there - may just be looking at a total.

man you sure took some hits on that cruise issue. :h

[mpierce]

Were there signs saying "road construction" or some such? If so, you need to be prepared for ANY possible road condition ahead.

Not picking on you, just fact of life.

Contact insurance agent. Best possible way to go. Doubt you will get anywhere with construction company or DOT. If posted, they are pretty clear.

[noe-place]

The contractor's argument is no doubt going to be they had signs posted saying "road construction ahead" or something similar. That they will say that should have been enough warning for a prudent driver to slow down. However I too have run over a few of those "bumps" and thought I was falling off a cliff. I was lucky that our MH suffered no damage.

[rockhillmanor]

Just going back and forth to Florida over the past 5 years I have encountered the very same thing the OP did. So it was not something out of the ordinary. And none of them that I 'dropped' off of not a one of them had additional signs with arrows pointing to it.

I also have yet to go thru an active construction zone with an RV where you could SAFELY go one "constant" speed from start to finish thru the entire work zone without touching the brakes.:R

[doxiemom11]

There have been many times that driving in a construction zone the road areas are unlevel or very narrow or half on a newly poured shoulder area combined with part of the regular lane. We seldom are able to even drive at the construction zone speed posted in a safe manner. We would rather slow down and avoid problems if possible. And yes, we are one of the motorhomes that drives 55-60 mph.

[hooligan]

Certainly give your insurance a crack at it. Sounds like more than exterior panels may be affected.

Cruise control on or off should not even be a factor... However if the dash fans or your headlights were on .....oh my..

[JJBIRISH]

Water-Bug wrote:
The problem that I see with using cruise control in a construction zone is that it could accelerate when you would normally brake. For example if you were to hit a cone/barrel and drag it under your trailer. You may not feel the impact of the cone/barrel being hit by the trailer. If you had your foot on the gas, you would notice that you had to depress the peddle to maintain speed. With the cruise on, it would maintain speed without you feeling the drag.

Kind of a stretch, don’t you think…
If can be a big word with little meaning…

[Dtaylor]

Take photos to document. If no help from construction Co, file with your ins company if the cost to repair is more than your deductable

[Water-Bug]

The problem that I see with using cruise control in a construction zone is that it could accelerate when you would normally brake. For example if you were to hit a cone/barrel and drag it under your trailer. You may not feel the impact of the cone/barrel being hit by the trailer. If you had your foot on the gas, you would notice that you had to depress the peddle to maintain speed. With the cruise on, it would maintain speed without you feeling the drag.

[powderman426]

From your description, it sounds like you may have caused serious damage to the frame. Like others said, let the insurance co. Deal with it. Good luck.

[JesLookin]

I agree with kaydeejay. Let the insurance company cover the damages, if they can go after someone else they certainly will.

What's wrong with towing with the cruise control on? Construction or not??? You need to be attentive with or without cruise on.