I Wrecked my New Van in Oregon

[sub2rainEN]

Come to think of it, I had a similar experience. A friend has a family cabin in the mountains. Two of us left early on Sunday, due to commitments. Two of us finished the close down prep (opening faucets, turning off water, unplugging fridge, etc.).

It started snowing lightly as we left. Within 20 minutes the roads were slushy and my friend nearly slid off the mountain. It's a good 90 minutes of windy roads down the mountain and the storm made it prematurely dark. We decided to turn back and spend another night in the cabin.

Fortunately, the roads were cleared by morning. It was the right call. We don't always know what the right call is, we can only make the best judgment we can with what we know at the time.

I'm glad many people provided helpful information. I plan to drive from CA to WA in a few months. I had no idea Oregon could get snow anytime of year. The tips are definitely helpful to me. Heck, one of the reasons I bought my van is that I'd get tired and need a nap midday, but good luck in a car when it's 100 degrees in Texas! I'm fortunate to have fans and AC/heat to use if I do need to take an unscheduled stop for a storm.

A bit of shell shock is understandable. A few years ago, I T-boned a woman who had been stopped at a side street while I was going 45 on a main artery. She suddenly pulled into the intersection and I could only slow down a bit. We were all fine (it caused a secondary accident). The worst outcome, besides dealing with 4 insurance companies, was my car being totaled with only front driver side damage. Still, I was skittish in intersections for months. It drives me crazy that so many people take unnecessary risks just to get somewhere a few minutes earlier, like weaving in and out at high speeds and not leaving sufficient space between cars. It puts us all in danger. A few feet can mean the difference between life and death. Seeing your van is certainly a reminder of how severe accidents can be.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sure it will help others avoid similar accidents.







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[Zoomyn]

Sorry for your loss Chongolio, an expensive lesson for sure, thanks for sharing the bad along with the good...

I'll guess it was a wet snow...  Wet snow is different because car/truck back wheels being lighter (without the motors weight) ride over wet snow while much heavier front wheels punch through and squish snow ahead of them until it compresses enough for the tires to have to climb over, this produces hundreds of little ramps in strobe-fashion that can stall the front and make the back slingshot past them. 

By stall I mean a difference of tiny amounts of momentum but they keep adding on themselves until the 'spin out' momentum can't be compensated // recovered from. Been there, done that.

Wet snow saw me most recently flee from a November New Mexico // Colorado Blizzard in my lifted 4x4 F150, going back to Lubbock/Austin and points East instead. Someday I'll see New Mexico...

So... In cold dry snow (15°F or below) I'm a road warrior; wet heavy snow makes me want to whimper and hide.

 

[Patrick46]

Chongolio...

Sorry if I came across as sounding a bit harsh. (others on here can tell you stories about how harsh I CAN be)

Hey, my first accident happened in Wisconsin in the snow, and I rear-ended a guy! Bald tires, and not leaving enough room were what I had to own (plus a whole new back section on his car)...but as you, Thankfully, no one got hurt.

Be Well, safe travels, and hopefully in a short time, you'll be behind the wheel of an even better rig for what you need.

 

[Minivanmotoman]

It appears that you are getting too popular with your blog and YouTube channel, as the grim reaper now knows your name.  :-/

Thank the gods of fate and luck who intervened on your behalf allowing you to cheat death.

You've just received an extension on life.
Give thanks and live/love it fully, as should we all.

 

[Chongolio]

Chongolio...
Sorry if I came across as sounding a bit harsh. (others on here can tell you stories about how harsh I CAN be)

Thanks bro, I am a little sensitive and tender as a seedless grape. I will be OK and feeling better with each passing day.



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[Chongolio]

It appears that you are getting too popular with your blog and YouTube channel, as the grim reaper now knows your name.  :-/

Thank the gods of fate and luck who intervened on your behalf allowing you to cheat death.

Yet still going to lose monetization on Youtube in a few weeks. [emoji23]

I just hope I can stay spry enough to keep out skipping ol man death [emoji88]




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[Chongolio]

Sorry for your loss Chongolio, an expensive lesson for sure, thanks for sharing the bad along with the good...

So... In cold dry snow (15°F or below) I'm a road warrior; wet heavy snow makes me want to whimper and hide.

I am still nervous making a trip to the freezer at this point but will overcome and get back on the road a.s.a.p



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[Chongolio]

It drives me crazy that so many people take unnecessary risks just to get somewhere a few minutes earlier, like weaving in and out at high speeds and not leaving sufficient space between cars. It puts us all in danger. A few feet can mean the difference between life and death. Seeing your van is certainly a reminder of how severe accidents can be.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sure it will help others avoid similar accidents.

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It boggles the mind the recklessness and stupidity seen on the road.

Even my own friends and family cause me too shake my head in disbelief when they get mad when I call them out for being on their phones and not signaling when changing lanes.

I am not a perfect driver obviously, but I do pay close attention to driving safely and still managed to wreck.

I hope this thread helps to prevent someone else ending up in a situation like I was just in.




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[sub2rainEN]

Agreed. I started driving late, so I don't have the experience of a driver my age or the reflexes of most new drivers. So I still drive cautiously, scan, and stay alert. I have prevented dozens, maybe hundreds of accidents just by predicting the stupid thing someone is about to do and/or staying alert when they do. A glance at the phone would have caused an accident in most of those situations.

It boggles the mind the recklessness and stupidity seen on the road.

Even my own friends and family cause me too shake my head in disbelief when they get mad when I call them out for being on their phones and not signaling when changing lanes.

I am not a perfect driver obviously, but I do pay close attention to driving safely and still managed to wreck.

I hope this thread helps to prevent someone else ending up in a situation like I was just in.




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[drysailor]

FWIW, slowing down is an ambiguous term.
Only snow tires give any traction in cold temperatures on snow or ice. What did you have for tires on there?
Summer tires are dangerous in cold, snow and ice. 20mph could be too fast.

NEVER drive faster than you can stop safely. Use your brakes to determine safe driving/stopping speeds.
The laws of motion/ physics come into play with a reduced coefficient of friction between tires and asphalt seriously reducing control and braking effectiveness to the point of useless and being dangerous for a set speed.

Good points. Consumer Reports recently did a good report on tires and cold temps. Apparently all tires that do not have DOT's little snowflake symbol are using tread rubber materials that harden and lose grip at 40'F. Compound that with a vehicle design that does not have significant weight over the drive wheels, and you easily end up in a ditch or worse.......

 

[SoulRaven]

Glad you're okay. Sure was a mashup on your new van. Sorry to hear about your van accident, it's always an ongoing shock & disbelief that it happened. Similar to PTSD, not as long lasting, fortunately. I hope your insurance helps you recover the losses and you get back on the road SOON.
It makes me stop and think on my tires in snowy weather. I've been considering buying snow tires for winter driving in Jan 2019 into north Utah & Colorado road & camp site tripping. I wish I could rent winter tires for 3 or 4 months rather than buy outright for one season only.

 

[Chongolio]

Glad you're okay. Sure was a mashup on your new van. Sorry to hear about your van accident, it's always an ongoing shock & disbelief that it happened. Similar to PTSD, not as long lasting, fortunately. I hope your insurance helps you recover the losses and you get back on the road SOON.
It makes me stop and think on my tires in snowy weather. I've been considering buying snow tires for winter driving in Jan 2019 into north Utah & Colorado road & camp site tripping. I wish I could rent winter tires for 3 or 4 months rather than buy outright for one season only.

Thanks! I am still going through many emotions; gratitude, sadness, anger, disbelief, frustration etc. Time will get me through it but right now really sucks.

The van did not have full coverage so the $4000 I spent on the van is gone. I am waiting to see how much of my medical Geicko is going to cover.

Snow chains are a pain in the ass but would be a cheaper alternative to studded tires and would be easier to store when not needed