Accident

Road stories, questions about driving the B190, lessons learned
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skater
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Accident

Post by skater »

Just got into an accident with the Bvan... More details later. Erica, cat, and I all okay.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
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skater
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B190 Year: 1991
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Post by skater »

We were on I-83 just south of the Route 30/Arsenal Rd. exit in York, PA. Came around the bend and there was someone with a utility trailer that had pulled over - except the side wasn't wide enough so he was still partially in the lane. I hit the brakes (there was traffic in the other lane), locked them up, and we slid into the back of his trailer. (He's okay too, fortunately - he was outside and went running when he saw us coming.) Turned out he didn't even have a spare tire... why he pulled over there is beyond me; there was a spot just a bit farther up that was at least wide enough for him to get off the road.

Camper damage: radiator and transmission cooler were both punctured. Grill, fender, bumpers, hood, etc. all need to be replaced. The side window shattered, strangely enough. I'm not sure if it's a total loss or not; we'll have to see how the insurance calls it.

Tow dolly: I think it's done. The rivet that holds the hitch pin in was torn out, and the dolly actually hit the rear bumper of the camper, bending the bumper. Also, the tray of the dolly has a slight "U" shape that it didn't have before, and it swivels freely now.

Cougar (the car on the dolly): It's basically okay, except that the dolly must have hit the bottom of the front fenders and bent them in. We drove the Cougar home without any problems.

Be careful out there, people. :(
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
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weekender
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Post by weekender »

Glad to hear you are all safe. Sounds like the rest is a mess-- sorry, that will likely consume an appreciable amount of your time!
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craigmar
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Post by craigmar »

Hey Skater, I too am sorry for your loss but glad that you and yours are O.K. I hope not to go through the experience but am glad to know that the van did offer protection from injury so it should give a little relief to the question of how the van will do in an accident. How did the interior hold up as far as the passenger compartment?
Didn't you just get married or is that still coming, what an introduction to vanning.
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skater
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Post by skater »

The wedding was four weeks ago, but she's been camping with me for over a year.

The interior is fine, actually. The only thing that went wrong was the medicine cabinet open and spilled everything throughout the van.

Good news: they're going to fix it! Hopefully we'll have it back in time for the WDCU Outer Banks trip on August... :) We're glad it's not being totaled - we'd hate to see it go out that way.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
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craigmar
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Post by craigmar »

Alright!! Glad to hear that.
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skater
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Post by skater »

Erica reminded me that the drawer tracks slid out of the clips in the back, making them look pretty bad, but they were fine when I put them back together. Also the soft head bumper above the side door popped out on one end; I put it back in place without even thinking about it. So basically other than the glass from the window and the mess from the cat's water and litter, it's fine.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
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dougb
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B190 Year: 1993
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Post by dougb »

We are also happy that you and your family are ok... Sounds like the B190 is a pretty tough little motor coach.

Respectfully,
Doug & Linda
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skater
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Post by skater »

Good news! It's coming home tomorrow!

We're going to go pick it up, then head to my brother's place to grab all the stuff for it. We'll also clean it while it's basically empty (no time like that time!). I'm excited to have it back. :)

We had a power outage at home Sunday afternoon through Monday night... geez I was missing the camper! It has a generator, air conditioning, a fridge, and a propane stove for cooking... oh well.

We're going to junk the dolly. If it's repairable at all, it's probably several hundred dollars to do so, and it only cost $1200 new over 5 years ago, so it's probably not worth it. I'm not going to miss it, I'll say that.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
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Alaskan
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Post by Alaskan »

What all required replacing....??

Satisfied with the job...??
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skater
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Post by skater »

We didn't get it back yet... Now he's thinking Wednesday.

Items that had to be replaced: hood, right fender, grill, both bumpers, and the side sliding window.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
User avatar
skater
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Posts: 2569
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:00 am
B190 Year: 1991
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Location: Annapolis, MD

Post by skater »

Camper is home! Looks pretty good, with the exception of some additional badges. I'll post pictures later.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
User avatar
skater
Site Admin
Posts: 2569
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:00 am
B190 Year: 1991
WBCCI: 13270
Location: Annapolis, MD

Post by skater »

1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
Keystone
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B190 Year: 1994
Location: Boulder, Colorado

Post by Keystone »

Wow, looks shiny and new! Looks like your shop did a nice job. Glad you're all recovered from your accident and back in the B190 business.
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Alaskan
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Post by Alaskan »

What the heck caused the window to break....??

And....your B190.com decal needs replacing...!

The trailer looks like an easy repair, or am I not seeing something...?
Last edited by Alaskan on Mon Aug 09, 2010 4:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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