nasty rv wreck in Mississippi

[David Anderson]

Just saw this on Yahoo:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-motorhomeaccident-mississippi

I don't know what you guys think, but this rig surely must have been overloaded with 14 people on it.  Probably some new laws will come out to protect us, I'm sure. 

David

[wg4t50]

Indeed, a sad event, but I fear after the crying etc, the law suites  will start, 14 souls on board, makes it a commercial operation, like DOT inspection, DOT numbers displayed, Fuel tax sticker, log book, driver medical papers, etc for starters.
In Virginia, when I bought my MCI for RV useage, I went to the state police for clear factual info concerning licensing, for private useage etc.
14 pssemgers makes it commercial operation.
Hope the owner has plenty insurance, not knowing the law is no excuse.
Appears to me to be case of liability stupid.
FWIW and a sad event.

[Mex-Busnut]

Certainly a sad story. And some very stupid comments following. (Not all, of course.)

I would be curious to know the condition/age of the tire that blew. Was there some metal or other object that caused the blow-out?

Was the vehicle traveling too fast?

Was the toterhome overloaded before the passengers even got in? Some apparently are.

[artvonne]

  Drivers are the ones that should be held responsible, just like airplane Pilots and ship captains. Unless the owner knew the law, knew the number traveling, and told the driver to do it, I dont see anyone else to blame than the guy behind the wheel. And I would argue that a great percentage of RV'ers have no idea about the 14 passenger rule.

[RoyJ]

I don't know who manufactured the truck conversion, but in general, they're always poorly weight balanced, hence greater blowout possibility. Their high power simply encourages fast driving.

Most truck conversions put way too much weight on the steer. Look at their rear overhang, usually similar to a coach, but without the heavy rear powertrain to offset it. Some Volvo Haulmarks weight around 17,000 up front, empty!



A proper way to design them is to have a Class-C or gasser Class-A like proportions, where the rear axle/tandem sits almost midway on the chassis. Personally I'd aim for 12k front and 30k or so on the tandems.

[smokedetector]

I can't find the pictures now but I am pretty sure it wasn't a truck conversion. If I remember correctly it was a single axle class a.

[bevans6]

According to the article it was a 2002 Freightliner, which could be anything - they make a lot of RV chassis and truck chassis.  The driver was a 66 year old professional bus driver.  It's implied it was a loan of a private vehicle.   

Brian

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

I found the link with a picture.

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/221196/40/Two-from-Atlanta-area-die-in-Mississippi-RV-crash

Nick-

[5B Steve]

I found the link with a picture.

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/221196/40/Two-from-Atlanta-area-die-in-Mississippi-RV-crash

Nick-

     If you read the article,it mentions that the wreck was caused by WORN OUT TIRES. So sad.

     Steve 5B.....

[Busted Knuckle]

Well I can't deny or support the claim of it automatically becoming a commercial vehicle in VA just because of 14 passengers.

I can however tell you that in IN, KY, TN and most other states I have lived in it does not!

The laws in these states do not supersede federal law in where any vehicle of 15 passengers or more require a CDL license even if it's a private vehicle.

A private vehicle can carry more than 15 people in these states and still be "private and not commercial." But the driver IS required to have a CDL (commercial drivers license) and follow all CDL rules concerning DOT regulations such as log books and hrs of service, drug testing, pre & post trip inspections, and etc.

The law may vary from state to state, but most stick with the federal rule on this.

Now what would make it commercial even if it were only 2 passengers on board would be;
a "hired" driver.
charging a fee for the ride.
using it to sell or transport items for sale.
or any other type of commercial use, such as placing advertisement on it or what ever.

Again not trying to argue with wg4t50. Just stating the facts I know from my area.
  BK 

[RoyJ]

I found the link with a picture.

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/221196/40/Two-from-Atlanta-area-die-in-Mississippi-RV-crash

Nick-

My bad, when I read "Freightliner" I just assumed a truck conversion or super Class-C.

On another note, I believe a coach with its caged superstructure would have a much higher chance surviving that one. Wasn't THAT hard of a hit.