Yesterday was not a fun day

[RickV]

We left home yesterday for our 5 1/2 month road trip and I'm driving north on I-75 about 10 miles south of I-20 around noon. I am in the second lane from the right, the first lane has one of those concrete construction walls and is not full width. I pass a semi and hear a small bang I look in the mirror and can see nothing wrong but, drive about 2 mikes until I can pull over on the paved shoulder. When I do the semi pulls over in front of me I drive up behind him and get out and walk up to his window I noticed his mirror was broken and asked what happened he said you ****ing swerved over hit my mirror. I said are you sure you didn't swerve into me? He gives me this look and starts screaming at me and I asked him did you call the police he said yes I said ok good and went back to my truck. Police get there and I explained my side and the fact that he was in the narrow lane and if had swerved in to the semi I'd have more damage as my awning frames stick out about 3 inches further than what's damaged on my camper and my truck mirrors would be damaged too. The officer talks to the other guy and comes back and gives me a card with a case number and says he can't determine who was at fault. My damage is minimal and I have no plans to file a claim. It looks like the marks can be buffed out.

[Eastham]

If you are passing him in that tight of a spot. You will probably be found responsible if it went to court even if he did hit you .With his mirror only a few feet from his face he pretty well knows what's going on.on the other hand your rv is probably 2o feet back and might of swayed a little and clipped his mirror. If his mirror is sticking out enough he could take the whole side of the rv out and never touch the awning. I guess it could of been a lot worst than a broken mirror and a few scrapes to the rv

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by RickV

We left home yesterday for our 5 1/2 month road trip and I'm driving north on I-75 about 10 miles south of I-20 around noon. I am in the second lane from the right, the first lane has one of those concrete construction walls and is not full width. I pass a semi and hear a small bang I look in the mirror and can see nothing wrong but, drive about 2 mikes until I can pull over on the paved shoulder. When I do the semi pulls over in front of me I drive up behind him and get out and walk up to his window I noticed his mirror was broken and asked what happened he said you ****ing swerved over hit my mirror. I said are you sure you didn't swerve into me? He gives me this look and starts screaming at me and I asked him did you call the police he said yes I said ok good and went back to my truck. Police get there and I explained my side and the fact that he was in the narrow lane and if had swerved in to the semi I'd have more damage as my awning frames stick out about 3 inches further than what's damaged on my camper and my truck mirrors would be damaged too. The officer talks to the other guy and comes back and gives me a card with a case number and says he can't determine who was at fault. My damage is minimal and I have no plans to file a claim. It looks like the marks can be buffed out.

Well I am going to agree with Eastham, the burden is on the passing driver. If even a 12' lane is narrowed by a K rail/Jersey barrier you should have given him a lane between you. The last thing that semi driver wants to do is brush the barrier. Were you in the second lane because you wanted to pass, or because you didn't like the narrowed lane.

[Javi]

One of the most difficult things for new dually and full sized 5th wheel owners to learn is that you are NOW the SAME width 102" and height 13.4 feet (max 13.6") as that 18 wheeler... not the same weight but just as wide and tall... except for mirrors.. his are probably 120" yours are about 105"

Look at where you are passing... if you don't think two 18 wheelers can comfortably fit... then you and an 18 wheeler ain't either

[flybouy]

I agree with all of the above. What you have to be cognizant of that the big semi truck has a much larger frontal area than you do and thus is pushing and disrupting a lot more air. Your truck and trailer were designed with a lower drag coefficiant. When overtaking or being overtaken by a larger and heavier truck like that you will get "blown out way" from the pressure wave infront of the truck then "sucked in towards" the larger truck as you pass due to the low pressure air as it speeds up and rushes down the sides. It does affect 5 th wheelers as well as travel trailers but the effect is diminished with the larder size/weight of the typical fiver and tow vehichle as well as the dynamics of the fiver's pivit point being closer to the TV rear axle.

When caught in a situation like you described I try to stay paced in front of, or behind the larger truck until either the lane opens up or I can safely get out of the way. If you have the right-of-way that doesn't chamnge physics and the larger, heavier rig WILL win that battle every time. When those unfortunate incidents occure just exhange insurane info andlet them figure it out. That's why you pay for insurance. If the other driver refuses to exchamge their info or becomes aggressive then retreat and call the police as you did.

[jasin1]

Also if you look, his mirror is pushed forward..like you hit him while accelerating. Unless he was hitting the brakes it really looks like you were overtaking him and clipped the mirror pushing forward
Either way it sucks. Better days ahead!

[sourdough]

I don't intend to be piling on but I agree with the others. I used to think semi drivers were pros; a generalization I had in my mind. I now know that there are just as many poor semi drivers as good. I swear some have no idea and some are out to prove "something" when they get behind the wheel.

That said, if a semi is in a confined lane like that if you watched him for a while as you approached I imagine you would have seen him cross/encroach on that lane stripe multiple times. I too try to stay away from those tight fitting concrete barriers which are seemingly everywhere nowadays but I also try to stay away from a semi that is stuck in those tight quarters. Those forces that have been described can/will affect the stability of your rig. As the "passer" it would then be in your ballpark to assess that you could do so correctly....sort of like pulling out to pass into oncoming traffic; not good. I know it's hindsight but I think I would have waited until I could have moved over a lane then passed with room between us. Good luck on getting your repairs made.

[JRTJH]

To me, the "telling statement" in the OP's first post is this: "...drive about 2 mikes until I can pull over on the paved shoulder." I took this to mean that within two miles of the incident, the road was wide enough to safely pull over, stop and assess the damage. So the road was also likely to be wide enough to safely pass, just two miles further.

At 55 or 60 MPH, two miles is around 2 minutes, then the entire situation "could have been avoided by not attempting to pass for a couple of minutes".....

I can't tell you the number of times people will pass me (often in no passing zones on 2 lane roads) and 5 miles down the road, they are "directly in front of me at the stop light in town".... All the "risk, speeding, increased fuel burn to speed up and pass" are reduced to "one bumper length advantage".... Hardly seems worth that two minutes to me.... YMMV.....

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by RickV

We left home yesterday for our 5 1/2 month road trip and I'm driving north on I-75 about 10 miles south of I-20 around noon. I am in the second lane from the right, the first lane has one of those concrete construction walls and is not full width. I pass a semi and hear a small bang I look in the mirror and can see nothing wrong but, drive about 2 mikes until I can pull over on the paved shoulder. When I do the semi pulls over in front of me I drive up behind him and get out and walk up to his window I noticed his mirror was broken and asked what happened he said you ****ing swerved over hit my mirror. I said are you sure you didn't swerve into me? He gives me this look and starts screaming at me and I asked him did you call the police he said yes I said ok good and went back to my truck. Police get there and I explained my side and the fact that he was in the narrow lane and if had swerved in to the semi I'd have more damage as my awning frames stick out about 3 inches further than what's damaged on my camper and my truck mirrors would be damaged too. The officer talks to the other guy and comes back and gives me a card with a case number and says he can't determine who was at fault. My damage is minimal and I have no plans to file a claim. It looks like the marks can be buffed out.

Well I assume that the police took your insurance information, and likely shared it with the truck driver. You may want to notify your insurance company, and provide your statement as to what happened, as I am sure the truck driver will file a claim. The mirror on the side of my Ram Power, heated, power folding, is likely about $1,400 just for the mirror. I can't guess what the replacement cost is for a semi mirror.

[wiredgeorge]

I had this happen on a very narrow road where a dually was coming in the other direction and had his tow mirrors all the way out. He came around a corner and too far over on my side. Broke my mirror and his. He had a fancy truck with electo-mirrors and such and I have a cheapo. I bought (only big mirror broke) a new mirror that sticks on with 2 sided tape for about $5 and was good. He didn't wish to press things as he was left of center with the tow mirrors extended and likely would have be found in the wrong.

[Ken / Claudia]

I won't attempt to say who hit who, just that a few scrapes and a broken mirror mean it was a slight tap between the two moving vehicles. The RV could have easily been ripped apart with a solid hit and sliding across the whole side. That could have caused you a loss of control and who knows what after that.
All in all inches or seconds away from totally smashing up your combo.

[Brando]

Having previously worked at an insurance company (no, I'm not a claims adjuster)... I'll just say this...

First, don't ever admit fault during an accident, even if you are at fault. Stick to the facts as you know it. You drove by the semi as you understand, and heard the noise, and damage occurred between the two vehicles. You suspect it was the semi truck driving in a narrow lane and veered too close to your vehicle. The police was contacted to have a report generated. -- Done. Stick to that. Don't apologize or hypothesize what might have happened. Just stick to what you know and can prove.

Second, you have a police report that has both sides of the story. It's very likely the trucker will contact his insurance and report this accident for payment to repair the damage. Trucker will blame you for being at fault. So, to avoid looking guilty, you should call your insurance company and just give them a heads up that an accident occurred, damage was sustained on both vehicles, but you are not wanting to file a claim. Give the police report, so that in the event your insurance company is contacted by the trucker's insurance company, they are already aware of the situation. Don't worry, you calling the insurance company but not filing a claim, will not result in an increase in your costs unless you are determined to be at fault in this accident.

However... just an FYI... when you do contact the insurance company, the report will be filed under your policy. So that because you're not filing a claim, and then later you file a claim on another accident, the insurance company is already going to be aware that your vehicle had previously sustained damage. Nothing you can do about that. Your insurance is going to find out about this regardless.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Brando

Having previously worked at an insurance company (no, I'm not a claims adjuster)... I'll just say this...

First, don't ever admit fault during an accident. Stick to the facts as you know it. You drove by the semi as you understand, and heard the noise, and damage occurred between the two vehicles. You suspect it was the semi truck driving in a narrow lane and veered too close to your vehicle. The police was contacted to have a report generated. -- Done. Stick to that.

Second, you have a police report that has both sides of the story. It's very likely the trucker will contact his insurance and report this accident for payment to repair the damage. Trucker will blame you for being at fault. So, to avoid looking guilty, you should call your insurance company and just give them a heads up that an accident occurred, damage was sustained on both vehicles, but you are not wanting to file a claim. Give the police report, so that in the event your insurance company is contacted by the trucker's insurance company, they are already aware of the situation. Don't worry, you calling the insurance company but not filing a claim, will not result in an increase in your costs unless you are determined to be at fault in this accident.

However... just an FYI... when you do contact the insurance company, the report will be filed under your policy. So that because you're not filing a claim, and then later you file a claim on another accident, the insurance company is already going to be aware that your vehicle had previously sustained damage. Nothing you can do about that. Your insurance is going to find out about this regardless.

That’s the dark side of insurance claims. That’s why we all pay too much insurance IMO I don’t know who is to blame but if I was responsible I would say so. I feel bad for the small business man or young family barely making ends meet and they are involved in a accident and everyone clams up and makes all of the rates go up. My daughter was pumping gas the other day and a older guy and strung out woman drove in and hit the curb at the entrance to gas station then tried to squeeze in next to her car. She could see he was gonna hit her car and she ran over and said “STOP” ..he yelled out “I GOT IT” and she jumped back and he scraped her car fender. He originally apologized exchanges info then sat in a parking spot and the police showed up because he hit the pole the DAY BEFORE at the same gas station. Then he proceeds to say he is “diabetic” and asks for a ambulance. They checked him out and luckily the police filed a report. It would be her word against his if he decided to play stupid and say he doesn’t know who hit who even though she was stationary. He looked drunk or strung out on drugs

[rhagfo]

I haven’t seen the OP RickV come back, a question to him what was to his left? Was it the left shoulder or a third lane of travel?

[RickV]

Originally Posted by rhagfo

I haven’t seen the OP RickV come back, a question to him what was to his left? Was it the left shoulder or a third lane of travel?

I haven't replied back because I didn't post this to get opinions, I did it moreso to make people aware of how fast things can happen. If you have ever driven in or around Atlanta on the Interstates you would know that while the road is 3 or 4 lanes wide people drive like maniacs and when passing through you get in one lane and stay there until you need to change lanes to get on/off a ramp etc. I purposely planned my trip through that area on a Sunday because the rest of the time it is totally insane to drive through there.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by RickV

I haven't replied back because I didn't post this to get opinions, I did it moreso to make people aware of how fast things can happen. If you have ever driven in or around Atlanta on the Interstates you would know that while the road is 3 or 4 lanes wide people drive like maniacs and when passing through you get in one lane and stay there until you need to change lanes to get on/off a ramp etc. I purposely planned my trip through that area on a Sunday because the rest of the time it is totally insane to drive through there.

Sorry to you didn't like the comments but this is a Forum and you will revive comments and opinions. Most of the comments/opinions are in the same vain as yours, intended to enlighten and inform readers with regard to your experience.

Unfortunately Atlanta is not unique in either it's traffic, drivers, or road construction. I'm sure that there could be a 100+ stories of similar roads all across the country. I'll close with one more comment. I would suggest to anyone that they purchase a dash cam and use it whenever they are in the vehichle. It's hard to argue about what happened if there's clear evidence on a video recording. I'm guessing the truck involved in your incident had one.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Sorry to you didn't like the comments but this is a Forum and you will revive comments and opinions. Most of the comments/opinions are in the same vain as yours, intended to enlighten and inform readers with regard to your experience.

Unfortunately Atlanta is not unique in either it's traffic, drivers, or road construction. I'm sure that there could be a 100+ stories of similar roads all across the country. I'll close with one more comment. I would suggest to anyone that they purchase a dash cam and use it whenever they are in the vehichle. It's hard to argue about what happened if there's clear evidence on a video recording. I'm guessing the truck involved in your incident had one.

Hey, I was going to suggest DFW, Houston or maybe Denver but pretty much any of the larger metro-messes are going the be challenging.

[notanlines]

Ever so slightly off-topic, but ever notice how people always claim that drivers in "Atlanta, Memphis, St Paul, Kansas City, New York...put your big city here" are just crazy, drive like they're insane, speed like crazy, on and on and on.
I've found in traveling from one end of this country to the other that all in all, people tend to drive the same. I will say that traffic in small towns seems to go a little slower, but the roads aren't suitable to run 55 at 'rush hour" on Main Street.
In Memphis we take pride in keeping up with all the other big cities with pot holes, construction zones, speeding drivers, etc., but now we've taken the lead with closing one of the busiest links in major travel, our broken bridge!

[FlyboyD8]

I believe that it was the semi drivers responsibility to stay in his narrow lane, if he so choose to be there. And it was his choice to be in a narrow lane and that in now way creates any responsibility for a driver in any other lane to stay out of his way!!!!!



The stupid decision of someone else does not createt an emergency responsibility on the OP. If your lane ends it is up to you to find a safe way to murg, it is not other peoples responsibility to to make room for your bad choices.


Ken

[dutchmensport]

Regardless..... a bad of camping is still better than a good day at work!

Hope you get everything straightened out between you too.