Seneca Wreck

Luco · 12-01-2018, 03:02 PM

We had a tractor trailer come on the the interstate with a wide load and hit our Seneca in the passenger side pretty hard. The bed room slide is busted and bent, the awning crushed and the fiberglass on the passenger side pushed in and broken. When we were able to inspect the inside we found the kitchen and bathroom walls broken. The door frames are knocked loose and even the pocket door was torn from the hinges. It looks like all of the cabinets on the passenger side are loose or cracked. I am not sure if it is even repairable. If it is, what repair shops could fix this. I am in upstate SC. This just happened Friday, so I haven’t heard from insurance. The diver of the truck pulled over and when I got out he took off. Luckily I have a drive camera and got his company name and truck info on the video. Law enforcement is looking into it as a hit and run. I am going to make a claim with my insurance and let the insurance companies fight it out. My insurance company has already contacted to trucking company but they won’t accept liability at this time. Hopefully a charge from LEO to the driver will change that. Looking for advise from anyone that has had damage to their rig.

SloPoke · 12-01-2018, 03:23 PM

Ouch!! Very sorry to hear this happened. Please keep us updated on how this works out, not that we want to have to go through it, but in case we do in the future.

Rustynuts · 12-01-2018, 03:28 PM

WOW that really sucks! I would guess that it would have to go back to Jayco with the damagae as extensive as it sounds.....Its possible they might just total the unit. I know the feeling but we got off with a lot less damage when a 18 year old kid side swiped out 6 month old Seneca going down I5....he admitted was texting. His Insurance was Geico and I was worried about how the claim would be handled but it went extremely smooth. Being it was a Hit and Run, thats pretty much admitting fault right there.

Good Luck and let us know how the whole nightmare turns out for you.

**norty1** · 12-01-2018, 04:10 PM

Thank goodness you had the drivers truck and tags on camera. You didn't mention any personal injury. Hope that is the case.

PlayersZ28 · 12-01-2018, 04:18 PM

You didn't say what yr or model Seneca but if it were me (given the initial build quality of RV's) I'd want a total.

mohok1 · 12-01-2018, 05:56 PM

With that amount of damage, I would settle with no less than a Jayco In Plant Repair or replacement of the unit. Might be time to think of long range value of a unit with that much damage.

Randy G · 12-01-2018, 09:09 PM

Keep us updated. Scumbag should lose his commercial license.

Chet & Marie · 12-01-2018, 09:18 PM

So fortunate no one was hurt. Can replace campers but not lives.

McGintys924 · 12-02-2018, 07:35 AM

Luco,
I have an issue with a potential delamination of a sidewall on my 2018 Seneca. When I notified Jayco, they believe it could be bad glue and have agreed to replace the entire side wall of the Seneca. Since it would be virtually impossible to ship a sidewall to a dealer or repair shop, maybe you can get Jayco Service to do the repair. When I asked them about replacing a sidewall, they commented that they have done it many times so they certainly have more experience than anyone else.

These are extremely expensive machines we put out into a very dangerous place, our roadways. Good luck getting this all sorted out.

Grumpy · 12-02-2018, 08:05 AM

Everyone I know who has had damage to the house like that has been a "total". Hope you have "Total replacement" coverage.

RetiredLEO · 12-02-2018, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PlayersZ28

You didn't say what yr or model Seneca but if it were me (given the initial build quality of RV's) I'd want a total.

X2
The trucking company should also be responsible for any extra expenditures, trip interruption compensation etc. Hope it was a large national fleet. Their Safety Dept. should be use to paying settlements.

RetiredLEO · 12-02-2018, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Everyone I know who has had damage to the house like that has been a "total". Hope you have "Total replacement" coverage.

Wife use to work in a Insurance Claims Office for one of the Country's largest Insurance Companies. You are so right Grumpy "Total Replacement" is worth every penny and the only way to go.
I would push hard for Jayco to "total it" I'm sure they wouldn't mind selling another new unit because of it

namusmc65 · 12-02-2018, 11:02 AM

So glad no one was hurt, that is the main thing. But, the hit and run scenario is really disgusting. More than likely, this guy has no insurance or was not in compliance with a lot of different things, that is the reason they run. That means the trucking company, if it was not an independent owner/operator is at fault for having this guy on the road as well. I would not stop by just going to my insurance company, but would also contact a good attorney. I would not settle for less than a brand new unit back on the road.

LI-Camper · 12-02-2018, 05:16 PM

I had a car hit the passenger side of my Greyhawk. Damage to the entire side as well as entry steps ripped off and one cargo compartment also ripped off. Jayco could not repair it for a long time so they recommended a local body shop they send some repairs to. This shop was awesome! They have a good relationship with the Jayco factory and an excellent repair facility with experienced technicians. They handled all the insurance paperwork, had a driver deliver my MH from NY to IN. I was totally reimbursed for airfare to IN for me and my wife, motel and restaurant bills, limo to airport, rental car while I was in IN. My time was not compensated but essentially everything else.
The shop I used was: S&S Automotive, Wakarusa, IN. Phone# 1-574-862-7924. Excellent people to deal with. My Greyhawk had just 2000 mile on the odometer. It was fixed good as new. My damage was not as extensive as yours.

Crossingover · 12-03-2018, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luco

We had a tractor trailer come on the the interstate with a wide load and hit our Seneca in the passenger side pretty hard.

Was this a merging incident where you had nowhere to go other than slam the brakes?

RetiredLEO · 12-03-2018, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crossingover

Was this a merging incident where you had nowhere to go other than slam the brakes?

Won't make any difference. It's the responsibility of the merging vehicle to adjust it's speed to merge safely.
Strike one for the Semi.
Driver hit and left scene..........strike two and three.

Crossingover · 12-03-2018, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredLEO

Won't make any difference. It's the responsibility of the merging vehicle to adjust it's speed to merge safely.
Strike one for the Semi.
Driver hit and left scene..........strike two and three.

No argument with any of your points. My reason for asking was to learn from the incident. If it were a merging incident, we all have observed folks not anticipating a merging vehicle and stay their lane for no other reason than they're too lazy to move over into a clear lane next to them. This is not a legal requirement, but a COURTESY to the the merging vehicle.

RetiredLEO · 12-03-2018, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crossingover

No argument with any of your points. My reason for asking was to learn from the incident. If it were a merging incident, we all have observed folks not anticipating a merging vehicle and stay their lane for no other reason than they're too lazy to move over into a clear lane next to them. This is not a legal requirement, but a COURTESY to the the merging vehicle.

Like you said, it's not a legal requirement. To suggest that the O.P. was too "lazy" to move over to another lane is way too presumptive. Perhaps the lane to his left had a vehicle in the way?
Every time you switch lanes you are taking a chance of missing somebody in your blind spot.
You are much safer if you stay in your own lane to avoid making extra movements.
The OP possibly could have been in the middle lane of a three lane directional highway and when the Semi unsafely and illegally merged into the far right lane and being over sized "broadsided" the O.P.
I have worked enough accidents to know the Semi was clearly at fault. I also have to wonder if the Oversized load was large enough to require a lead and possibly a chase car. It is very common for oversized loads to be a little careless figuring other drivers will automatically get out of the way for them.
Lots of legal requirements involved with over sized loads.
Face it, if the driver wasn't responsible enough to stop after causing a accident........do you really think he was responsible enough to use care when he merged? Doubtful.

Luco · 12-08-2018, 01:29 PM

Additional Info: The truck was merging on to the interstate. I had another 18 wheeler to my left and a car was very close to my toad . I moved as far over as I could and maintaining my lane. I had actually passed the cab of the big truck but he kept coming over. All I could do was maintain my line and hope I wouldn’t turn over. We were not injured. Still waiting to hear from the final on the insurance. My uninsured motorist insurance is going to move forward. The trucking company is not being very cooperative. State Troopers are getting the transponder records to identify the driver.

JesseS · 12-08-2018, 01:37 PM

This is one reason why I never drive in the right lane on a multi-lane highway (3 or more, not sure the OP's situation allowed this), I always drive in the center lane to avoid people merging and exiting. I also have a hi-def dash cam in the windshield just for this kind if situation, smart move by the OP, and I recommend all RV's have them. Glad no one was hurt and I second the suggestion to try and get the Ins company to 'total' the rig as long as you have replacement Ins. I have this on all of my newer vehicles and home, well worth the cost as deprecation can cost you a lot more. Good luck.

You may also like: