QuestionHi Webfoot, thanks in advance for any advice you may offer.
I was at the start of our family vacation a few weeks ago, heading North pulling a 29' travel trailer with a '99 3/4 ton Suburban. Suddenly the trailer started swaying back and forth, and I couldn't keep it on the road. We went off the highway, down the embankment, the trailer rolled a few times, and the truck went up on its side just as we came to rest. We were all buckled in, and I thank God no one was injured.
You can imagine the chaos, with 4 kids screaming... I was dazed. After some amount of time I put the truck into Park and turned off the ignition- I have no idea if it was even still running.
Our beautiful trailer was reduced to a pile of rubble, and has been totalled. There is a fair amount of body damage to both sides of the truck- I must have taken out a road sign to mess up the passenger side. My question is about the engine, though. I had just done a lot of work to the engine in preparation for the trip, and it was running mint. It still runs, but was out of coolant, and water and blue smoke comes from the tailpipe when it's started. It needed to have the plugs removed to get the oil out of the heads before it would turn over. Obviously I want to make sure that any damage to the engine is repaired as part of the claim. How should I deal with the engine in terms of the insurance inspector?
As a second question, the hitch, mirrors, ball mount, and weight distribution bars were either lost or damaged in the accident - over $500 value. Would these be considered part of the trailer, truck, or contents (and therefore a homeowners claim)? I've already determined that it's not in my best interest to file a homeowners claim for the contents of the trailer, even though I lost a few thousand dollars worth of property, for fear of becoming a high risk policyholder.
Thanks again,
Ben
AnswerGood grief! Thank goodness you guys are all ok. Ironically, almost the same exact thing happened to my parents a few years ago. Crosswinds caught the trailer and both it and the truck turned on their side, on the freeway. My parents are hanging sideways, looking through their windshield at oncoming traffic. Thankfully, no one else hit them.
Whenever an insurance adjuster is handling a vehicle that has rolled or gone on its side, they should consider the possibility of engine damage and the supplemental cost. It is a realistic possibility that the bearings could have been oil starved long enough to cause damage. If damage is discovered, what they would owe you for is a used engine with the same or less mileage or a reman engine with betterment taken based on your vehicle's mileage. In most cases, you'll do just fine with a lower mileage used engine.
The exhaust smoke is likely from oil that got into the exhaust while the vehicle was on its side and will likely dissipate. The condition of the bearings is best determined by running the engine in drive under a bit of a load. You mentioned that they had to remove the plugs to get oil out of the heads before it would turn over. Actually, this sounds more like coolant and/or oil in the combustion chamber causing hydro lock. There is a chance that the engine may be fine but just as a much of a chance that it has internal damage.
With it being 50/50 at best, the adjuster will have to figure the engine possibility and may end up totaling the truck.
As far as the other towing accessories, coverage varies from policy to policy so you'll have to check with the insurer. My company covers anything that's permanently affixed to the vehicle with no dollar limit, but other companies may not.
As far as the homeowner’s issue, I'd check with your agent to see what the guidelines are as far as rate increases and cancellations before eating that much money yourself. The homeowners would also likely cover any of the towing items that the auto may not. If you’re not changing homes or companies any time soon, it may not make a difference, but I do have to say that when we bought our new house a few years ago, I was turned down by Statefarm for a 3 year old, $1,500 homeowners claim that Allstate had paid. Allstate, however ended up writing the new house for a fair rate.
Again, I'm glad everyone is ok and wish you luck!
