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

[Jloucks]

Frmundr wrote:
Let's clarify a bit for those of you that feel the need to chastise me for "having my cruise control on in a construction zone." There was no one working, very little traffic, there were no cones, it was a holiday and the road was actually marked as "uneven pavement",not an actual active construction area AND I was traveling under the posted speed limit, so if you don't have anything constructive to add, how about just keeping your opinion to yourself because I really don't care about your petty little comments that only reflect your negative attitudes. I really don't think that some of you who post freely on the internet would be so bold in person.......

Oh man, is it too late to chastise you? Hate missing out. =P I disapprove of your,,,mmm,,,gonna go with.... hat. It is too small and makes your head look big.

Hehe, I crack myself up......annnyyyyywho...

I am not sure 1 second would make all that much difference in this scenario. What, you would have gone off the lip 10pmh slower? Would that have made a difference? I don't think so. I don't think you should fault yourself at all based on speed control. ...in this instance.

On edit: oh yea, another vote for insurance agent.

[mpierce]

The concensus has been, contact your insurance agent. I seriously doubt that the DOT will pay anything. Or the construction company. They had it posted, you were warned.

Hopefully the damage is minor, but the buckling of the walls is a sign that at the least, the frame flexed. At worst, it is bent or broken.

[garyhaupt]

I am getting such a kick of those that trumpet never using the cruise control. I have to admit, I was in that category, some years back. Back when men were men, and all. I would never ever have considered such a thing...ever. But...I learned that with a constant speed maintained, my fuel consumption was more controlled. I kick it out as an upgrade begins...play transmission games...see if I can keep it from shifting down. Now, too,I don't drive interstates..or so seldomly that it doesn't count, but even when I do, unless I am in traffic congestion, I engage c.c. and enjoy the ride. The other thing is..my right knee and back don't get as sore. I can change position and move about a bit..no further than the fridge, but enough to stop that knee muscle from getting all crunched and painful.


Gary Haupt

[Frmundr]

This is 'the wife' who was passenger on this trip. The warning sign actually only showed uneven lanes, which was fine, because we just stayed in our lane. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, they had graded down the road to prepare for new asphalt but had NOT put in any short ramps at that particular bridge before knocking off work for Memorial Day. When we made our return trip and all the work crews were out there, the ramps had been added 😕

My hubby, who has been a police officer for 26 years is an EXCELLENT driver and is MORE than aware of what can happen to workers on the side of the road. He was simply asking for help in how to handle the situation we're now in. Telling him what you think he did wrong in the first place is kind of rubbing salt into a wound. KWIM? 😞

[rhagfo]

Frmundr wrote:
Let's clarify a bit for those of you that feel the need to chastise me for "having my cruise control on in a construction zone." There was no one working, very little traffic, there were no cones, it was a holiday and the road was actually marked as "uneven pavement",not an actual active construction area AND I was traveling under the posted speed limit, so if you don't have anything constructive to add, how about just keeping your opinion to yourself because I really don't care about your petty little comments that only reflect your negative attitudes. I really don't think that some of you who post freely on the internet would be so bold in person.......

Sorry you don't like the criticism, but that statement in red above, is a red flag to towing or not! Construction zones active or not have all kind of pit falls.

That is when the cruse is canceled I watch the road ahead for changes, it can be a difference between lanes or the short "ramps" at bridges or overpass, when they grind the road down to make the new pavement level with the structure.

Take it for what it is, good advice.

[brauneyz]

OK, I'm not getting into a discussion about cruise control because I've never used it, but I do have a nasty little anecdote about construction zones and wrecking a fiver.

RV caravan through Mexico two years ago. We never went over 35 mph the entire time, and never took topes (speed bumps) over 5 mph. Bad, jarring, uneven road surface frequently. Took it slowly always. A week later, just back in the US, a large truck followed us into a cg and pointed out a frame problem (separated from axels). 4 slides became virtually inoperable. Floor buckled. Took it to repair shop. Long story short - repairs would have cost $30K. & 6 mos. Insurance co. totaled it.

We are FTers. Totaled our home. Spent the next week buying a new fiver and moving our stuff over from the dead one. Thankfully, we had the kind of insurance that covered full replacement, not the depreciated value. Never be w/o that.

Sorry for your troubles. Talk to your insurance co. and hopefully you'll get some satisfying resolution. Answer to your question is, yes, construction can wreak havoc on an RV, even with careful driving.

[Francesca_Knowl]

Frmundr wrote:
Let's clarify a bit for those of you that feel the need to chastise me for "having my cruise control on in a construction zone." There was no one working, very little traffic, there were no cones, it was a holiday and the road was actually marked as "uneven pavement",not an actual active construction area AND I was traveling under the posted speed limit

:h

This is a new wrinkle....since you were warned about the hazard that caused the damage, I think it unlikely in the extreme that you can hold anyone responsible here but yourself.

Tough luck, lesson learned (I hope) and thank heavens for insurance, right? :@

[rockhillmanor]

""...the extra reaction time required for a motorist relying upon cruise control to recognize the danger of the situation when his wheels begins to spin or slide on a slippery surface,

bring his foot up off the floor to the brake pedal, and disengage the cruise control can be crucial

(especially for drivers lured into a hazardous level of inattentiveness on long, flat stretches of road)....""

Reaction time is longer.
Might have been able to stop/slow down in time for that drop off.

Ask any cop they KNOW what the distance traveled is for a car with cruise on and without cruise on in a panic stop/accident situation. There are documented stats on it.

[mpierce]

You want advice, you get it, and attack the advice givers. OK. Glad it all worked out so well for you. Looks to me like you are looking for someone to blame instead of yourself.

[wandering1]

So what did your insurance company say? Why haven't you contacted them?

[Frmundr]

Let's clarify a bit for those of you that feel the need to chastise me for "having my cruise control on in a construction zone." There was no one working, very little traffic, there were no cones, it was a holiday and the road was actually marked as "uneven pavement",not an actual active construction area AND I was traveling under the posted speed limit, so if you don't have anything constructive to add, how about just keeping your opinion to yourself because I really don't care about your petty little comments that only reflect your negative attitudes. I really don't think that some of you who post freely on the internet would be so bold in person.......

[Oaklevel]

JesLookin wrote:

Oaklevel wrote:
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.............

I drive through construction zones. Sometimes you can go for miles through a marked construction zone and not see any workers, trucks or other equipment. In other areas there is a lot of traffic & construction activity, in those areas I can see an argument about cruise control. A blind statement stating it is dangerous to use cruise control in all construction zones doesn't make sense. You have to be aware of your surroundings and drive accordingly. I don't think anybody sets the cruise for 80 MPH and blindly plows through a construction zone, if they do they shouldn't be driving at all. It is not extremely dangerous to drive through a construction zone with cruise on. It is extremely dangerous not to be aware of your surroundings while driving.

Sorry, There are federal regulations on how constructions are set up. ....To drive through a construction zone with cruise control on is extremely dangerous period..... Maybe I am wrong I have only been doing investigations on construction zone & other workplace accidents for 30 + years & yes there are those that plow through them at 80+ mph with or without cruise. Everyone should come sit in a work zone & see what & how the general public drives through them...........

Keep in mind you are on a nice trip don't ruin it with an accident that could have been prevented.... we currently on I77 have (not a work zone) but a tow truck operator that was killed because a driver either did not follow the law & get over and/or slow down.......waiting to hear if the Commonwealths Attorney is going to charge them with manslaughter or other..... Great way to ruin a vacation...........& both family's live's.....

[Sea_Dog]

I have never figured out why anyone uses cruise in the first place!

[JesLookin]

Oaklevel wrote:
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.............

I drive through construction zones. Sometimes you can go for miles through a marked construction zone and not see any workers, trucks or other equipment. In other areas there is a lot of traffic & construction activity, in those areas I can see an argument about cruise control. A blind statement stating it is dangerous to use cruise control in all construction zones doesn't make sense. You have to be aware of your surroundings and drive accordingly. I don't think anybody sets the cruise for 80 MPH and blindly plows through a construction zone, if they do they shouldn't be driving at all. It is not extremely dangerous to drive through a construction zone with cruise on. It is extremely dangerous not to be aware of your surroundings while driving.