When Trailering Goes Horribly Wrong

We have had many trips throughout the country in our thirty years of towing our travel trailers. Almost all of these have been trouble-free. However, there is nothing more horrifying than when trailering goes horribly wrong. This is the story of how a vacation turns into a nightmare in 30 seconds.

The Jayco JayWren was a great camper for just starting out as travel trailer owners. It was well-built, had a kitchen, a furnace, and a place to eat and sleep. The downside was that the beds had to be put away during the day, and there was no bathroom. Needless to say, the lack of a bathroom at two o’clock in the morning is an inconvenience. So, after we realized that the 1971, 16 foot Jayco JayWren didn’t meet all of our needs, we decided to trade it in for a 26′ Mallard Sprinter. This was a huge upgrade for the family. It included a larger refrigerator, really nice bathroom, and bunk beds for the kids. Surprisingly the dealership ended up giving us exactly what we paid for the Jayco when we traded it in on the new travel trailer.

Our first new travel trailer, the Mallard Sprinter.

There is a certain peace of mind with buying a new unit. With the Jayco, we were traveling in a 20-year-old unit which had its best years behind it, so there were always a few worries associated with using it. With the new trailer we gained a bathroom, bunk beds for the kids, a large kitchen, and a warranty. Life was good!

Of course there were new things to learn. Such as how to manage waste tanks, how to hook up with a weight distributing hitch, and adjustment of the sway control.

Tammy’s pride and joy, the Ram Van

Above is the new 1990 Mallard Sprinter being towed by our 1990 Dodge conversion van on the way to Florida in 1991.

The Sprinter in Florida

As you can see from the picture above, this rig had no air conditioning; however being from Wisconsin at the time, we really didn’t miss having it as our summer temperatures were pretty reasonable.

One thing we really liked about this trailer which seems hard to find today is the jealousi windows.

The Sprinter in Florida

The jealousi windows allowed us to get great ventilation regardless of rain. We really miss having those! It seems today that trailers are made with windows that are not as functional as they once were. Even on our newest trailer, the windows do not open very wide.

However, all good things come to an end, and the end of the Sprinter was unexpected and somewhat horrifying.

It all began with a vacation that was to center around Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. We thought the kids would get a real kick out of going to the caves. In addition there was a campground nearby that had a petting farm. My kids love animals; so this was a no brainer.

The first day of the trip was uneventful. We stayed overnight about four hours from our destination campground on I65. The next day we departed for Cave City, Kentucky. This would be the spot we would spend the next week. Little did we know that about 4 miles from our campground everything would change.

About 1 PM, a semi passing us in the left lane locked up its wheels and pulled directly in front of me just clearing my front fender. I had no recourse but to swerve onto the gravel shoulder at highway speed. I could feel the Sprinter rocking violently behind me as if it wanted to flip but it quickly righted itself. Then while thinking I just might pull out of this mishap without a scratch the green river guard rail appeared. There was just no way we could slow down fast enough to prevent the slow crushing impact between the semi and the guard rail.

I65, the Sprinter is a total loss

The cause of the accident was an elderly woman driving down the wrong side of the interstate. The net result is that our tow vehicle, (Tammy’s pride and joy), and our Sprinter travel trailer are totaled. We ended up climbing though the Van Windows to get out of the vehicle. Meanwhile, the woman who caused the accident is trying to flee the scene. Bystanders quickly prevent her from leaving.

The accident shuts down I65 for three hours. Next, two tow trucks had to use cables to extricate the semi from our van and trailer. Then another tow truck pulled us off the guard rail.

The traffic now begins to flow around the scene of the accident. I look at the remnant of our vehicles with the sheriff. He tells me “the last report I have is that traffic is at a stand still for over 20 miles”. It’s a bad day for us; it’s a bad day for everyone on the road. Then Tammy looks at me and remarks ” you know the people that are driving by think this is our fault”.

People almost always assume when a trailer is in a wreck that it is their fault. When reading posts on line, I often see folks jump to a conclusion when they see an accident involving a travel trailer. They suggest, they were going to fast, their tow vehicle isn’t large enough, or maybe they were novice drivers etc. Unless you were there with them, you really have no idea. Since our accident I have never made those assumptions. Anything can happen on the highway; even people driving the wrong way.

As for us, the only thing injured is the vacation. None of us had any injuries…except maybe emotional injuries for my son Jeff. He is six at the time and thinks his Grandpa (my dad) should drive down to Kentucky and pick us up. There was no doubt about it; we were extremely lucky.

I65 – There is not much left of Tammy’s Van and the other side is worse

Now I finally have access to the Sprinter. I quickly unlock the door and climb up the stairs. The inside of the Trailer is a mess. The wall separating the bedroom from the kitchen is down. Inside the bedroom all of the cabinets have collapsed. It is a total loss. A few days later the insurance company comes to the exact same conclusion.

The next five hours are a nightmare. We fill out accident reports at a nearby restaurant. Next we get a rental vehicle and secure a hotel room. The next day we go back to the trailer unpack it. We jam, and I mean jam, everything and everyone into the rental van. There is no space to squeeze another item on board. We left the food in the RV fridge and the T-Bone Steaks thawing in the sink for our new best friend Buck, the tow truck driver.

After spending the night in a nearby hotel we headed back to Wisconsin; therefore scrapping any idea of trying to salvage the vacation. On the way home we stopped at an RV dealership in Indiana and fell in love with a 1992 26′ Prowler. The Prowler is set up almost exactly the same as the Mallard Sprinter, with bunks in the rear. However there is no doubt that it is a much nicer trailer because it includes central air conditioning and an awning. In addition, the deal we negotiate is a good one. As a result. we are certain we made the correct choice in a new trailer.

Before we left the dealership we put money down on the Prowler. Therefore the Prowler was officially ours. The next weekend we would all drive down to Indiana in our new conversion van and pick it up. As soon as we left the dealership we headed to a nearby campground. We like to camp immediately after buying new campers because if there is any problem, it can be remedied quickly with the dealership. There were absolutely no issues at all.