Our Popup was rear-ended!

[A2SuperCrew]

Well, after a wonderful weekend camping in Northern Michigan, we were headed home on Sunday night.  Happily, the drive took about 3.5 hours, and we pulled off the highway, proceeding through downtown to get home.  We were stopped at a red light when a young lady ran right into the back of the popup!  BANG!! :yikes:

The rear bumper of the Pup  is smashed nearly to the rear frame rail.  The spared tire is jammed back into the rear wall.  The rear frame rail has buckles in it next to the stabilizers.  The box does not look damaged other than where the bolts for the spare tire holder have pulled out.

There is no damage to her Dodge Neon at all.................. :eyecrazy: The speed limit is 25, but downtown was pretty crowded, so I don't *think* she could have been going that fast..........

Have any of you been rear-ended like this?  Aside from the obvious damage, is there anything special I should look for in the way of hidden damage?  Is it safe to raise the roof so we can clean it out from our weekend away?  I have surge brakes.  Could they have been damaged from impact?  I'm concerned about the frame due to the small buckles next to each rear stabilizer.

I'll be calling the insurance company this morning, then the local RV repair shop.  I'm wondering what to expect.

Thanks in advance.  

[Jim K in PA]

Sorry to hear about your accident.  Hopefully you got a police report as well as the other driver's insurance info.  It sounds like you are doing all the right things (Ins co., RV shop, etc.).  Luckily we have never dealt with such a problem, so I cannot offer you any suggestions.  If the box is not damaged, and the frame under the rear corners is not too badly bent, you should be able to open it up.  Just pay close attention if you do so, and if anything looks or sounds out of the ordinary, stop and close it back up again.  You may want to wait until the adjuster comes out to look at it to open it up.

Let us know how things turn out.

I wonder if the young lady was texting while driving . . .  :rolleyes:  It is an epidemic around here . . .

[A2SuperCrew]

My agent said I would hear from an adjuster today.  As soon as I described the bent rear frame rail, she decided to have an adjuster take a look before I call any repair shop.  I think we'll leave it as it is until the adjuster sees it.

This is really a bummer!

And yes, it would not surprise me one bit if cell phone use was a factor in the young ladie's car.  She was 17 years old.  I did not talk to her much at all.  "If you don't have anything good to say.........."  

At least nobody got hurt.  

I'll post a few pics later.

[austinado16]

I'm really sorry to hear about the collision.  Glad it was low speed and that you guys weren't hurt.

You might put a call into Jayco and ask if they sell rear bumpers and other pieces of that rear frame area.  Sounds like it's very repairable.  

I'd open it up so you and the adjuster can inspect everything.  Just go slow and if you feel binding in the lift system stop and assess before lifting further.  At least that way you can get your gear out, clean the fridge, etc.

[A2SuperCrew]

The dealer checked it out this morning, and said the damage isn't bad.  New bumper, brackets, spare tire mount, and diamond plate back panel.  A little minor welding and paint.  The rear frame rail can be straightened.  It'll be as good as new.  





Parts will take two to three weeks to arrive, and they'll have it done in a couple days after that.

[Jim K in PA]

Great news.  The pics really don't look that bad.  Good thing she was in a small, low car.  It looks like it is still useable as is, but for the cross-eyed tail lights!

[A2SuperCrew]

We are very thankful she was driving a Dodge Neon, and not a RAM 2500!!

It's usable.  We popped up last night to see no interior damage at all.  We'll continue to camp.  

[Old Goat]

We had the same situation last December while on our way to my son's spread for the holidays and a family reunion. While stopped at a red light we were rear ended by a teen driving his parents SUV. The SUV's bumper was higher than the trailer's bumper so the body of the camper, a Sun Valley 22' TT, took all the force of the crash which pushed it's back end in almost two feet. The bathroom was destroyed and the shower was pushed into the side of the fridge. The fridge lost it's door and spilled all of it's contents on  the floor while being shoved forward into the side of the slideout which was knocked off of it's track...heap big mess..The SUV had a big heavy grille guard  and suffered no damage. The teen driver did'nt have much to say other than he was sorry for messing up our trip...We were not injured and there was no damage to the TV, a 2001 Dodge 1500 pickup, other than the Reese drawbar on the hitch being bent upwards over an inch...
Both adjusters,his and mine, totaled the trailer without question. I had just finished some mods in the trailer which included a custom made queen bed base which had drawers in the sides and room for the spare tire and water system pump, filter and tank...Every thing was made with top grade materials including white oak and Honduras mahogany and all finish surfaces had five coats of clear varnish which produced a yacht like finish.  There was a lot of discussion about how much all my work was worth and about a month passed before an adjustment was made to my satisfaction...I did not claim any more than what I was entitled to as a lot of people try to do. I only asked to be treated fairly, and in the end, I was....The adjuster called me later and thanked me for being so honest....
Ironically,when our wreck happened, we were detouring around a serious wreck on the expressway. A teen driving 85 plus in a 60 mph zone lost control, skidded and jumped the median barrier into the opposite lane killing a mother and her young son in a head on collision....What is it with some teen drivers? Things were alot different when I was growing up....

Hope all works out well for you with the insurance adjusters and your trailer gets fixed properly...