Totaled tow vehicle while pulling camper

[ajdemo76]

Here's a couple photos of the damage and the last photo of the Tahoe before the crash. Amazingly, I walked away uninjured and the camper was not damaged. I checked the hitch and frame as well. Only items that were on the bed flew forward.
I was driving home to Keystone, CO from New Mexico at night and hit two adult male elk at 65mph. I didn't have time to react and hit them before I was on the brakes. They were killed instantly, being thrown 20-25ft off the side of the road. Lesson learned to drive slower at night in remote areas. I'll be getting another Tahoe.
On a more positive note, this was the first trip with the new fridge and everything is now running off solar. Batteries never drop below 12.6v. We leave Friday after work for a week long camping trip in Crested Butte. Our Traverse will be the tow vehicle for now.


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[Borrego Dave]

Andy, you're lucky one didn't come through the window.

[ajdemo76]

Definitely. I think the way the hood collapsed may have saved me. I'm going to lift the next Tahoe a bit and put some sort of cattle guard on the front with extra lights. I don't think any aftermarket guard is going to stop two elk but maybe it would keep one from totaling a vehicle. Extra lights would be nice on remote roads when no other cars are around. We come across wildlife too often to not take some kind of precaution. This is the wake up call for us to do it.


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[Raz]

Glad you're OK. Not much you can do when that happens. We don't have elk here but we do have deer and moose. A few years ago I had a deer jump in front of me. I was in town, doing 25 mph. The deer was knocked down but ran away. The vehicle had $2500 damage. Plastic bumpers are expensive. Were it a moose, the car would most likely have been totaled and we might have been killed. It's common to drive under the animal having it come through the windshield. While elk are smaller than moose, a smaller tow vehicle might have the same result. It could have been a lot worse. Again, glad you're OK, Raz

[MC1]

Thnxs for posting Andy. It is a reminder to all of us to beware of hazards and safety issues out on the roads. Our travels in Canada take us in Moose country so we refrain from traveling at night.

[honda03842]

We don't drive at night in Moose country, Moose always win. Beyond the moose our night vision is diminished. We did hit a deer with the CRV in NM a couple of years ago in the early morning and killed the deer.

Our Honda had the brackets for the tow bar still there, built like two tow receivers coming out the front of the grill. They killed the deer with absolutely no damage to the CRV except deer hairs on the license plate.

We felt lucky that the deer did not go over or under the vehicle.

[frank_a]

Glad you're okay Andy! We used to live in Wyoming, and some of the roads out there were/are a real hazard for deer and moose at certain times of the year. Where we live now the biggest thing in the road is whitetail (and idiot drivers...).

Could you give me some specs on your solar set-up? Sounds very interesting!

Best of luck to you.

Frank

[ajdemo76]

Hey Frank,

Here's a link to our solar install and I can get you some more details after work today.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=68568


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[ajdemo76]

Originally Posted by MC1

Thnxs for posting Andy. It is a reminder to all of us to beware of hazards and safety issues out on the roads. Our travels in Canada take us in Moose country so we refrain from traveling at night.

Yea, we'll refrain from traveling at night now whenever possible.


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[frank_a]

Originally Posted by ajdemo76

Hey Frank,

Here's a link to our solar install and I can get you some more details after work today.

1975 Trillium 1300 solar project - Fiberglass RV

Thanks Andy! We very much want to do the same thing with Daisy Mae (our egg). Maybe this year too.

Take care, and best of luck!

Frank

[Evergreengirl]

Wow! Glad you're OK. Fear of hitting a deer is one reason we really try to avoid driving at night in certain parts of the country where we go camping. Over in eastern WA in the Methow Valley region there are sobering road signs that list the number of deer/car collisions each year.

[David Tilston]

It is my understanding that deer are the most dangerous animal in North America, in that they are involved in more human deaths then any other animal. All as a result of high speed collisions.

I am glad to hear that you are OK. Also good that the trailer is OK too. Nice Trillium.

[WaltP]

I've hit two deer over the past 10 years, both in the daylight at relatively slow speeds.
I hate to even think about hitting anything as large as an elk or moose.

When I was in Newfoundland, someone said the major cause of death there was from running into moose. Hyperbole?

Walt

[honda03842]

Walt,

About 700 moose/vehicle collisions annually and only 2/3 deaths. Annually Maine averages 18,000 dear collisions and about 650 moose collisions with 2-3 deaths from Moose. Deer collisions rarely cause a death. Fewer moose related deaths than I would have guessed.

[MC1]

A few years back I was coming down the Niagara Escarpment on my pedal bike doing about 40klm/hr and I noticed a deer running along the road beside me. For no reason it turned and ran right across the road in front of me. What the heck. Not a lot of common sense when it comes to deers.

[Roger C H]

Animals, when they get scared, will run BACK to the last place they felt safe, is the explanation of why they will suddenly run back in front of you.

65mph at night? I recall that speed limits (in Wisconsin) were 65 day/55 night. I don't know if that still applies.

Secondly, check the speed rating on your tires. Trailer tires have lower speed ratings than cars.

[ajdemo76]

Hey Roger,

Yea, they're are some roads within the state that are marked at 55 at night. I know there are some up by Steamboat. This road wasn't marked but I should have been driving slower anyways. The officer made a comment that they've been wanting that area marked in some way due to all the wildlife activity in that area.



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[USDM]

Wow, that's scary. Glad no one was hurt.


Through the valley of death.

[Carol H]

Glad no one was hurt! Grew up in deer country so have had the misfortunate of hitting one some years ago. Not sure I would want to mess with an elk or a moose! scary.


I had a very near miss on the I5 in the middle of the day time between Seattle and Bellingham a couple of weeks ago - doing 65mph pulling the trailer & a young deer jump out on the road in front of me. Was passing someone so I could not change lanes to miss it.... there was that very long second that you stop breathing and pray he doesnt do as deer will sometimes do, look up and then stop dead! He did the final leap out of way - missed him by only a few feet.

[Fallon]

The hood on all remotely recent vehicles has a weak spot so the fold in half like that rather than come through the window.

Personally I wouldn't lift a vehicle to protect from deer or elk, it won't help that much. Guards do help prevent damage to crumple zones. I'd prefer if the crumple zones crumpled as designed to protected me & my passengers. It sounds like yours did their job & protected you perfectly.