# Fatal Sway Accident



## arbee (Feb 3, 2005)

Co-worker sent me this link today: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1527242/
So sad and scary. I feel so bad for this family. We've all experienced that feeling when a semi barrels past us. First inclination is to assume their trailer was loaded wrong or their sway control system wasn't installed right or their tow vehicle was inadequate, but who knows.


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## bill_pfaff (Mar 11, 2005)

Ruined my day. Makes me want to go home and hug my kids.


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## arbee (Feb 3, 2005)

Some more details, Keystone Hornet, 2003 F-250
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=265765
http://www.newsobserver.com/674/story/615825.html
http://www.newsobserver.com/print/sunday/c...ory/615065.html


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Never again will I consider that, perhaps, using the 4Runner's Hensley on the Tundra to be over-the-top! NOTHING can be too much!!

God bless the Byrds and all who knew their son.....what a tragic loss for them all !


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## Brad1 (Jan 21, 2007)

It's interesting, in the story they don't say the "equipment" they had or didn't have. You wonder if they had a sway control or not. Either way a sad sad story. I'm with Bill, count the blessings you have everyday.


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

This sounds somewhat similar to the accident we were discussing last fall. I recall that we thought in that case that the truck and trailer combination was inadequate but in this case it sounds more like towing equipment or a lack of being situationally aware by the driver. I'm not trying to assign blame (I don't have near enough information and I am not qualified to assign blame) but point out that this might have been avoidable.

Does anyone remember the earlier wreck and has anyone ever heard what he final resolution was on it?

Reverie


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

the wreck where the tv jumped the median and killed 2 people in other lane? I have wondered what the outcome of the investigation was.


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## campntn (Feb 20, 2005)

As Outbackers and fellow campers, we and our families all pray for this family. This is such a tragedy on so many different levels. I, as a father, cannot imagine what that dad is going thru. It would be very hard for him not to have guilt. But none of the details are listed and so it's hard to get too far into it. Let's just pray for them, that's all that we can do. 
It especially hits with me because after driving nearly 5000 miles in the past month, this very situation has scared me more than once. I haven't lost control but no matter how experienced a driver/tower tha you are, you should never think it can't happen to you, even if you have the best setup available. Cross winds and the like are very very dangerous. I know that we were towing thru Nevada somewhere, there were a lot of those "dirtdevils" spinning around us and we thought how neat they were. Clear day, strong winds in the area, blue skies...Then....all at once, one of those big ones grabbed our truck and camper and I nearly lost it all. I felt the camper swing around some and the back of the truck raise up. I didn't freak out, it would have been easy to. I didn't slam on the brakes. I just let off the accelerator, I was going bout 60, and reached down to the controller to manually brake the camper and I did just a lil and it realigned. I pulled over, got out, caught my breath and got myself back together...and went on ok. 
Not to digress, but it's important that no matter what setup you have, how much experience you have, it can be very quietly dangerous when towing a camper. As a matter of fact, it might be deceiving of me to think that just cause I have a diesel and a sway bar that I'm safe. I maybe safer than I was with a Durango or a Tahoe, but it's still dangerous towing anything. That father could have had the right setup and done all the right things. 
Let's tell our kids we love em to nite again God bless this family.
Mark


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## mountainlady56 (Feb 13, 2006)

I don't care HOW careful you are, freak accidents happen. Could have been anything from a wheel-bearing to improper sway control to just the truck passing them sucked them in too much. I ALWAYS just tell Jimmy to "be quiet" or whatever it takes to get him to hush, so I can pay special attention when a semi's passing me, getting as far to the right in my lane, as possible.
I posted before, that my grandparents used to be avid campers, and they were towing a camper up in the mountains with a Chrysler Newport (yep, they actually used to make cars with enough HP and weight, etc., to tow a camper!). My grandpa had had the wheel bearings packed just prior to their trip, and the place messed up on one of them, was the final report in the investigation. Luckily, when the camper flipped and the car flipped, my grandpa was also carrying a jon boat on top of the car. The jon boat was crushed, but it saved their lives!!
I'm sure the dad feels bad enough about it without anyone blaming him or his driving/equipment/judgement.
God Bless them all!!
Darlene


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

campntn said:


> As Outbackers and fellow campers, we and our families all pray for this family. This is such a tragedy on so many different levels. I, as a father, cannot imagine what that dad is going thru. It would be very hard for him not to have guilt. But none of the details are listed and so it's hard to get too far into it. Let's just pray for them, that's all that we can do.
> It especially hits with me because after driving nearly 5000 miles in the past month, this very situation has scared me more than once. I haven't lost control but no matter how experienced a driver/tower tha you are, you should never think it can't happen to you, even if you have the best setup available. Cross winds and the like are very very dangerous. I know that we were towing thru Nevada somewhere, there were a lot of those "dirtdevils" spinning around us and we thought how neat they were. Clear day, strong winds in the area, blue skies...Then....all at once, one of those big ones grabbed our truck and camper and I nearly lost it all. I felt the camper swing around some and the back of the truck raise up. I didn't freak out, it would have been easy to. I didn't slam on the brakes. I just let off the accelerator, I was going bout 60, and reached down to the controller to manually brake the camper and I did just a lil and it realigned. I pulled over, got out, caught my breath and got myself back together...and went on ok.
> Not to digress, but it's important that no matter what setup you have, how much experience you have, it can be very quietly dangerous when towing a camper. As a matter of fact, it might be deceiving of me to think that just cause I have a diesel and a sway bar that I'm safe. I maybe safer than I was with a Durango or a Tahoe, but it's still dangerous towing anything. That father could have had the right setup and done all the right things.
> Let's tell our kids we love em to nite again God bless this family.
> Mark


Mark,

I drive a Durango (see sig line) and a 21RS. Can you please expound upon your belief that this may not be a safe setup in comparison to your truck set-up? With my set-up, I am well within all the weights and I tow the 21RS all over So Cal in all kinds of traffic, slow and fast, without issue. Beyond my weight dist. hitch, I don't even have at minimum a single friction sway control.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Marc


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

I read this story before leaving Luray Monday and it made me think a little bit more as the semi's roared past me on 81 & 78. They do think they own that section of highway.

John


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## Highlander96 (Mar 1, 2005)

Mgonzo2u said:


> As Outbackers and fellow campers, we and our families all pray for this family. This is such a tragedy on so many different levels. I, as a father, cannot imagine what that dad is going thru. It would be very hard for him not to have guilt. But none of the details are listed and so it's hard to get too far into it. Let's just pray for them, that's all that we can do.
> It especially hits with me because after driving nearly 5000 miles in the past month, this very situation has scared me more than once. I haven't lost control but no matter how experienced a driver/tower tha you are, you should never think it can't happen to you, even if you have the best setup available. Cross winds and the like are very very dangerous. I know that we were towing thru Nevada somewhere, there were a lot of those "dirtdevils" spinning around us and we thought how neat they were. Clear day, strong winds in the area, blue skies...Then....all at once, one of those big ones grabbed our truck and camper and I nearly lost it all. I felt the camper swing around some and the back of the truck raise up. I didn't freak out, it would have been easy to. I didn't slam on the brakes. I just let off the accelerator, I was going bout 60, and reached down to the controller to manually brake the camper and I did just a lil and it realigned. I pulled over, got out, caught my breath and got myself back together...and went on ok.
> Not to digress, but it's important that no matter what setup you have, how much experience you have, it can be very quietly dangerous when towing a camper. As a matter of fact, it might be deceiving of me to think that just cause I have a diesel and a sway bar that I'm safe. I maybe safer than I was with a Durango or a Tahoe, but it's still dangerous towing anything. That father could have had the right setup and done all the right things.
> Let's tell our kids we love em to nite again God bless this family.
> Mark


Mark,

I drive a Durango (see sig line) and a 21RS. Can you please expound upon your belief that this may not be a safe setup in comparison to your truck set-up? With my set-up, I am well within all the weights and I tow the 21RS all over So Cal in all kinds of traffic, slow and fast, without issue. Beyond my weight dist. hitch, I don't even have at minimum a single friction sway control.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Marc
[/quote]

Marc,

Weights are one thing. Wheelbase is another issue. Trucks have much more wheelbase that the Durango. I am not saying that it is not adequate. Just not optimal. Can sway happen to a big truck? Yes. However, the longer wheelbase of the truck helps control the sway.

I know you asked Mark to elaborate. However, since I used to tow a 21RS with an Explorer, I decided to chime in.

Remember, the tow vehicle needs to be able to CONTROL the trailer, not just pull it. That is why trucks usually have heavier duty brakes and axles.

Just my $.02

Tim


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## bill_pfaff (Mar 11, 2005)

I'm with Tim. I think Mark is just saying that you can't be safe enough. Heck if I could pull my 25 with one of those mini tractor trailer type trucks I'd feel a lot safer than what I have and even then there are considerations.

My suburban is OK with the 25 as it is but it will be a lot better once I get off the P tires and onto some LTs. You just can't be cautious enough but you do the best you can.


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

I understand where you two are coming from.

However, I did my due diligence when buying the setup that I use today mainly using the Wheel Base rule of thumb:

Wheel Base Rule of Thumb

A tow vehicle should have a minimum wheel base of 100 inches. A wheel base of 110 inches is recommended for a 20 foot trailer. For every additional foot of trailer length (above 20') add 4 inches to the wheel base. i.e., a 22 foot trailer=118 inches wheel base, a 24 foot trailer=126 inches wheel base. Etc. However, when you get into the larger, full size tow vehicles, such as Av's, Surburban's, F-150's, Ram Trucks, etc. this rule relaxes, as these types of vehicles (if properly set up) are capable of towing much larger trailers than this rule would suggest.

*My Durango has a 119" wheel base. My WD hitch and 3.92 gears keep my set-up pretty stable from all I've been through. Admittedly thats not every situation I can be involved with but I've had a good sampling thus far.

So I guess I can rest assured that my TV's wheel base is sufficient for my TT needs (22'3" towing length).


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## Highlander96 (Mar 1, 2005)

Touche!!!

As long as you are comfortable with your set up. You don't have to answer to anyone.

Before I went to the 28RSDS and the 2500 Diesel Crew Cab, we used to tow the 21RS with the 2500HD gasser with the extended cab. It had 143.5" of wheelbase and would still wiggle if a dump or tractor snuck up on us!

Maybe I'll see you towing on the 405 when I am out there this summer.

Tim


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## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

Scary thought! A good friend of mine just bought
a new Durango to pull the camper they bought at 
an auction... this TT is a 35ft. Nomad or something heavier.

I said something to her like... Oh, you got a new
Durango. Very nice!!! Are you going to pull the
new camper with it(in a concerned tone)
Her reply was well DH just bought a
Hensley, he said that will do it.

*Disclaimer(please don't flame back at me)








I have NOTHING against or in no way am I knocking 
either a Durango or Hensley! ... But,
I think there is a limit it any TV/TT combo.
In this case I think they are exceeding the wheel base
ratio by way more than is acceptable. 

The reason I even bring it up is that
whenI read this story they were the first to come to mind.
I pray that they are safe and maybe he will change his
mind on choice of TV for that large/heavy of a TT

I can't imagine what that father and family for that matter
must be going through.

MaeJae


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

johnp2000 said:


> I read this story before leaving Luray Monday and it made me think a little bit more as the semi's roared past me on 81 & 78. They do think they own that section of highway.
> 
> John


To a degree, yes. All the years I drove, there really is nothing you can do about the wind you create going down the road with a big rig. (the ones doing way over the speed limit is another story)Slowing down when passing a TT is not an option. This is one of the reasons I have always said that being set up correctly with a safe TV-TT combination to enable you to do the speed limit on any given road is safer than going slower than everyone else on the highway. The disparity in speeds creates more wind when being passed.

That said, enforcement of said speed limit would also help









John


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

MaeJae,

Your concerns are 100% valid for your friends.

And as a good friend, you need to point them to either this forum or some other internet site with details about proper wheel base and TT length specs.

You owe it to your friends to share your knowledge about the situation before it becomes an afterthought to a horrible situation.


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

Mgonzo2u said:


> MaeJae,
> 
> Your concerns are 100% valid for your friends.
> 
> ...


show them the incident we are talking about.......


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

Mgonzo2u said:


> MaeJae,
> 
> Your concerns are 100% valid for your friends.
> 
> ...


I agree. If your friends instead had told you they just bought a 38 pistol so they could play russian roulette for some quality family time together, wouldn't you have something to say? Gotta respect the boundaries, of course, but what they're proposing/planning to do is downright insane IMO.


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## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

MaeJae, You want your friends to ba around for awhile. Tell them so.

Like Doxie said, they need to know the facts. If they bought this 35' camper used, it is likely not very light. Even an Outback would weigh something more than the Durango could tow safely at 35'.


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## emsley3 (Feb 27, 2007)

A little more insight into this accident.

This is 3rd party information but I was talking with a business associate that works with a family member of this family. He didn't know what size TT was being towed or what the WD and anti-sway setup was but he did know that the TV was a F-250. As was stated in the news, the sway began when the 18 wheeler passed. What was not mentioned and what was told to me was that the father corrected the sway in the correct fashion by speeding up. Unfortunately as he did, two vehicles in front of him hit their brakes for some reason. This required him to slam the brakes which caused the TV and TT to jackknife thus resulting in the accident.

Paul


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## Doxie-Doglover-Too (Jan 25, 2007)

even more heart breaking ( if that's possible) knowing he did everything right. "Everything Happens For A Reason" are sometimes the hardest 5 words to comprehend and even harder to accept. My prayers go to this family.


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

emsley3 said:


> the father corrected the sway in the correct fashion by speeding up.


The correct way to correct sway is to apply trailer brakes by manually using the brake controller. At the same time you accelerate gently if it is safe to do so. This is a maneuver we practice regularly.

That said, sway combined with rapidly slowing traffic ahead of you is a recipe for a jack-knife.

Ed


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## wtscl (May 22, 2007)

We just returned from our first LONG trip (450 miles one way). I had to really pay attention to semi's coming up behind me. EVERY time they were about half way up my rig, I would get sucked to the left some. I had to always be concious of who was around me (even SUV's would do the same thing).


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## FraTra (Aug 21, 2006)

I have towed a lot on interstate highways and have felt comfortable with my rig. I tow average about 60-65 mph and semis don't seem to have much affect on my rig with the equal-i-zer. BUT, this is why I chose a 26 footer instead of the 32 footer that we really wanted. Everytime I tow, back up, or gas up I tell the DW I'm glad we went with the 25RSS.


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