UPDATE - (FINALLY GETTING FIXED) - Blowouts are a nightmare!

[mezmo]

Hi Becca,

Sorry to hear of your incident!

At least in the grand scheme of things it turned out to be a
surmountable misfortune instead of a catastrophic misfortune.

You and your's are safe and fine and you can still cuddle Izzy
when she needs it!

It's amazing what the physics of the physical world can do in an
instance.

At least you were fortunate that the damage didn't extend to the
exterior wall or the wheel opening - I didn't notice any damage in
the pics - so all the repairs can be made and no one will ever know.
At least until it's time to "Tell the Tale" around the campfire!

I have every confidence that you could do it yourself. Maybe use
it as an opportunity to customize the damaged area for easier or
better use for yourself?

Good luck with it all.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

[CAJUN LADY]

Hi Becca,

Sorry to hear of your incident!

At least in the grand scheme of things it turned out to be a
surmountable misfortune instead of a catastrophic misfortune.

You and your's are safe and fine and you can still cuddle Izzy
when she needs it!

It's amazing what the physics of the physical world can do in an
instance.

At least you were fortunate that the damage didn't extend to the
exterior wall or the wheel opening - I didn't notice any damage in
the pics - so all the repairs can be made and no one will ever know.
At least until it's time to "Tell the Tale" around the campfire!

I have every confidence that you could do it yourself. Maybe use
it as an opportunity to customize the damaged area for easier or
better use for yourself?

Good luck with it all.

Cheers,
Norm/mezmo

Thanks Norm...

It was a big relief when I saw that no damage was done to the exterior. But it sure made a mess under the sink.

The two very kind Pasco County Officers told me, a week before the same scenario happened but with a different outcome. A truck pulling a trailer a little bigger than mine had a blowout, he lost control, flipped the trailer and truck, destroying both. Luckily he was uninjured but total loss to his trailer. Officers said it took 2 hours to clean up the Interstate.

So I feel very, very lucky that all I have to do is a few repairs. I still have my sweet Scotty intack. Well, almost.

[Jiminsav]

Becca...saw the aftermath of that trailer wreak...wasn't pretty.
as for your damage, that just freakin stinks..i'm sorry it happened to you.
and as for something to think about, do you ever wonder where all the car parts come from that litter the side of the interstate...it's from blown tires..seen a tire take the whole fender off a kia sorento on I-95..i said to myself...DAYUM!!!

[TheresaD]

Becca I'm sooo sorry to see what happened to your baby! I'm glad you weren't hurt though and that the damage wasn't worse. Having a tire/wheel fail on the highway is a huge fear of mine when I'm towing my trailer. I can only imagine how scared you got when you realized what was happening. Good for you for keeping your cool and keeping everything upright and on the road. Very impressive! Hopefully it won't be too difficult to fix the damage and you'll be out caming again very soon.

[CAJUN LADY]

Becca...saw the aftermath of that trailer wreak...wasn't pretty.
as for your damage, that just freakin stinks..i'm sorry it happened to you.
and as for something to think about, do you ever wonder where all the car parts come from that litter the side of the interstate...it's from blown tires..seen a tire take the whole fender off a kia sorento on I-95..i said to myself...DAYUM!!!

Jimmy, thank you. You mentioned all the debris on side of the road - as I was walking along I-75 looking for what I could salvage of my kitchenware, there was so much rubber from blowouts all along the Interstate...amazing!

I picked up what I could find of my kitchenware, most of it unusable. No big deal - it's all replaceable.

I'll tell y'all this - that was not fun! Once I got the new tires put on and was back on the road, I 'white-knuckled' it the rest of the way. I'm not afraid to pull my trailer at all but I do have a new respect for it. And, I'll never go over 60 mph when pulling it again. I think the outcome would have been different if I were going 68-70. Don't know and don't want to ever find out. I'm happy at 60...I'll get where I'm going eventually.

[CAJUN LADY]

:( Becca I'm sooo sorry to see what happened to your baby! I'm glad you weren't hurt though and that the damage wasn't worse. Having a tire/wheel fail on the highway is a huge fear of mine when I'm towing my trailer. I can only imagine how scared you got when you realized what was happening. Good for you for keeping your cool and keeping everything upright and on the road. Very impressive! Hopefully it won't be too difficult to fix the damage and you'll be out caming again very soon.

Thanks T and Happy Birthday girl!

I didn't have time to be scared when I heard the blowout - all I could do was watch the mirrors and talk, talk, talk to myself and the trailer saying, "Come on baby, come on baby, easy, easy, easy, easy". I got shook up after I got it pulled over and went look at the damage. When I opened the door to the trailer, smoke came rolling out and I thought it was on fire but it was just the burned rubber/smoke from the tire. I could feel my hair turning gray!

I had a pity party for about 5 minutes, then I got mad at myself for not getting new tires sooner. After throwing a few unlady like words out, I called my husband, then I called my insurance company, told them what happened and asked them to call for a FLATBED tow truck. I started taking pictures for insurance purposes, then the Pasco County Officers pulled up and helped me look for more mangled kitchenware.

It all fell into place after that. One officers son worked for a mom n pop tire store (S&R Tires) at the next exit so he called him and they had 2 in stock. The tow truck driver was so gentle with the Scotty - couldn't have asked for a better driver! He charged me 1/2 the normal tow fee! I was so delighted I gave him a $20 tip. The tire people were great! They stopped working on another car and got right on it, AND, gave me a 20% on the tires.

An experience that started out frightening, turned into a good experience with the help of 2 kind police officers (Ebony & Ivory, their names, not mine) a gentle tow truck driver (Stepps Towing) and wonderful people at S & R Tires, located at 32643 SR 52 in San Antonio, FL (352) 588-3000. (Sorry, didn't mean to advertise for them but if you are ever in those parts and need tires, they are great people to deal with).

[Miriam C.]

I doubt if anyone cares if you mention or even post a map as Mike did, someone who took such good care of you. Good people deserve an attaboy and plenty of exposure.

[Corwin C]

I'm sorry to see/hear about the damage to your baby. Best wishes on a straightforward and simple repair. May there not be any damage that we haven't already seen and your baby come away from this better than ever. Put your mind at ease, you've conquered a very frightening and traumatic situation in an appropriate manner with grace. Allow new confidence come through that you can handle what the future has in store for you. All of your forum friends know that you can.

I was following an F350 Dually on the freeway @ 75mph a few years back when there was suddenly a HUGE puff of dust and I remember distinctly the back of that truck going high enough to see the color of the mufflers IN FRONT OF the back axle (I was in a full size pickup). The truck had only a fifth wheel hitch in the back and it literally tore the steel bed and wheel well around the edges of the hitch. The heavy duty 16" tire (load range G) disintegrated into about three pieces and completely left the rim. I assisted in getting the tire debris into the back of his truck and it was not hot so I doubt that he was running a flat. I did not see, nor could we find any road debris that he could have hit. The driver told me that the tires were only a year old and judging by the wear I believe him. Fortunately (since it was a dually) he was able to drive away and we didn't have to change a tire on the freeway.

The amount of energy in a tire going down the highway is truly incredible. The amount of damage to Becca's baby is actually not surprising considering that chunk of rubber that stayed attached and beat the fender well probably a hundred times or more as she skillfully kept her cool and safely came to a stop. (Imagine what you could do with a similarly weighted sledgehammer swinging with all you've got.)

My wish is that no one else ever have to go through something like this, but the reality is that some will. Please take the time to carefully inspect for anything that could cause issues on your TV's and trailers and take care of them appropriately. Think about how you need to react when the unexpected happens. If you've got in the back of your mind how to appropriately react, the chances are better that you will react the way you need to if it does happen.

[Corwin C]

Not to change the subject, but I was just looking through the pictures a second time when I noticed the corroded copper water line in several of them



I suspect that the copper was in contact with the fender well and there were some galvanic reactions going on there. It may be nothing, but it's some thing else to make sure there's not a future issue while it's easily accessible ... water damage is awful sneaky and we'd all hate to see you go through that as well.

[CAJUN LADY]

Not to change the subject, but I was just looking through the pictures a second time when I noticed the corroded copper water line in several of them



I suspect that the copper was in contact with the fender well and there were some galvanic reactions going on there. It may be nothing, but it's some thing else to make sure there's not a future issue while it's easily accessible ... water damage is awful sneaky and we'd all hate to see you go through that as well.

Good eye Corwin! It was in contact with the wheel well. I did a water test, pressurized it for a couple of days and so far so good. Insurance is going to cover to have new pvc put under the sink. It hasn't leaked, yet. I will keep an eye on the copper pipe and may go ahead and just replace it for peace of mind.

[Shadow Catcher]

Becka
Unless there is pitting don't worry about it. Green oxidation on copper is not a problem i.e. the Statue od Liberty.

[mandy]

I am so sorry for the mess that the blow out has caused you. I am so very glad that you came out of this alright.

[CAJUN LADY]

Thank you! I was supposed to take her to my trailer guys today but my computer crashed for the last time a couple of days ago. Went get a new laptop today and I'm back in business.

[CAJUN LADY]

Got some good news!

After 'Internetpilot" posted the link below about the 'Scotty for Sale' in FL (Florida 1973, 15 ft., Serro Scotty travel trailer - $700), I took a look at the Scotty, then looked at the posters blog and thought, "those names sound familiar". Well, the Scotty they are selling is the one I sold to them that needed a lot of work. They have decided to go in a different path in life and put it up for sale.

We got to talking and I told them what happened with my blowout and David and Pam offered me 2 wheel wells free . . . . FREE! So damn awesome!!!
I will be in Sarasota at the end of this month helping my friend move so I will pick them up then. One prayer answered - a couple more to go.

http://sarasota.craigslist.org/rvs/2275004390.html

[Miriam C.]

Wow! I sure wish I could find one like that around here for $700.... They are totally ratted out for that here.

Happy to hear you got some wheels!