Rear Ended!!

[Barry]

I was pulling a 4 horse LQ GN Featherlite today. I was stopped trying to make right turn into the dealership that had traded for it. A Chevy Silvarado P/U rear ended the trailer hard... ... ... ... ... . very hard. The guy had dropped his cell phone and reached down to pick it up. When he looked up, he said it was too late.



The trailer is totaled. His pick up is totaled. The bed of my pick up with the headache rack has imprinted the back of my cab. There is a slight bow in the floor of the bed of my truck. It bent the GN hitch on the trailer and buckled the sides of the trailer above the GN hitch.



The GN hitch, in my truck, is mounted on my Reese Rails. The Reese Rails are mounted to the frame with the Reese install package.



My question to my TDR brothers is: I know there is hidden damage, what and where do I look for it?

 

[Hoefler]

Take it to a good body shop, and have it put on a frame jig, they will be able to tell if it is tweaked.

 

[jakprince]

Hope he had insurance

 

[Barry]

Thanx, he showed an insurance card... ... ..... I hope he has enough to cover the trailer($35,000) and my truck... ... ... ...

 

[rjones]

Thank God your trailer wasn't loaded...

 

[speycaster]

Another reason people using cell phones in vehicles should kneel at the side of the road and gat a double tap to the back of the head.

 

[Barry]

No, trailer was not loaded. The ones I pull never are. There must be a reason why folks have horses, but God has never revealed that to me.



I just buy and sell the trailers.

 

[Grey Wolf]

Sorry to hear about the truck and trailer but how are you?



I agree with Hoefler get a frame shop involved.



speycaster, are you sure that's enough, sometimes they need more. The sad thing is sometimes they take themselves and others out, can't it wait

 

[Okie-Go]

Barry, sorry to hear about the mishap. I'm glad that you are ok.

 

[Barry]

WE are fine! It is just a pain in the neck to deal with all the insurance companies. If this Dude has enough PL & PD, I am not going to get my insurance company involved.



What I do not know is what things are going to start creeping up on the truck after a hard hit like that. I had a pack of cough drops in the little cubby hole under the radio... ... ... ... ... ... I don't know where they are!

 

[speycaster]

Saw a ford 350 push two cars ahead at a stop light, mother and two kids were hit by the front car. Little boy ended up under the front vehicle, the mother had a broken leg and arm, kid in stroller just lots of bruising, kid under car broken leg and head injuries. No one killed but the cell phone guy in the ford did not have a scratch, seems a little unfair to me. Should at least be legal to apply the same injuries to the stupid cell phone user, but I still go for the double tap.

 

[Barry]

Drive now, talk later!

 

[HBarlow]

Barry,

Sorry to hear of your accident. I hope you had a cop to the scene to gather information and make a report. Also hope he cited the other driver.

If your bed mounted headache rack dented your cab your truck's frame had to flex a considerable amount. The frame probably returned to its original shape immediately but lots of things could have been tweaked.

I would follow Hoefler's advice. Let a good frame shop determine what damage may have been done.

You may have need for a chiropractor or even an x-ray or two. You'll probably be mighty sore tomorrow morning when you get out of bed. An impact like that has got to whip your head back and then forward again.

 

[Barry]

FLHP was on the scene. Made the report. BTW, they print a report right there in the cruiser and give it to you. No more going down to the police station and paying $10 to get the report.



The man that hit us was cited and charged with the accident.



My headache rack is the one that my wind wing is mounted on. It is bolted to the top and front of the pickup bed. The imprint of the base of the headache rack is in the back of the cab. The floor of the bed is also bowed up.

 

[Motorhead]

Sorry here too... . I don't know why you don't want to involve your own insurance company. They can usually help you get this settled. I also wouldn't sign off your not feeling injured just yet either. My $0. 02

 

[HBarlow]

Barry,

If the truck bed is bowed up that probably indicates the rear frame rails were "shortened" between bed mount brackets. Not a good sign.

 

[Barry]

Uncle Harvey,



The GN adapter hitch is pinned into the Reese Rails. The Reese Rails are bolted through the bed to L brackets that are in turn bolted to the frame. Once we get the bed off (so the rear of the cab can be repaired I think it would be prudent to replace all bolts that comprise the Reese install kit.



Whadiyathink?

 

[Barry]

View attachment 77798



Here is a pix of the back of the cab where the bed and headache rack came forward and imprinted the back of the cab.

 

[HBarlow]

Barry,

I had the identical hitch setup on my previous dually pickup.

The damage to back of cab indicates the truck took a severe hit. That frame doesn't bend or flex with ease.

 

[Barry]

I guess we won't know the extent of the damage until the bed comes off... ... ... ... ... And we just paid it off in May!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, I have been kind of looking for another truck anyway.