Sad end to our Ollie #664 Adventures but not the end of our travels

[John E Davies]

I will add that you should contact a news tv station in Alberquerque, usually the bigger city stations have a consumer advocate reporter that might be happy to post a story with your dash cam picture and very dramatic rolled Ollie images. The odds are VERY high that the guy is local, and somebody will see the pic and notify that news station. Nobody likes hit and run drivers, especially the ones that flee a potentially fatal accident scene without even stopping... By getting away, he most likely will re-offend, meaning the high likelihood that he will kill some people. 

Have the police made any progress, or have they given up? It is time to get mad about this, and actively pursue leads.

Did you see this story from exactly a year ago from Idaho?

 

Unfortunately, dramatic crashes are newsworthy. I think yours is too. Good luck.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Guest]

T

43 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

Did you see this story from exactly a year ago from Idaho?

 

That is near us. We have strong spring winds. A vehicle gets blown off a bridge every few years. Usually an empty Semi. A driver died a several years ago, going over the Murtaugh bridge. 

[Brad-Beth]

That accident is terrible, I cannot image going through this.  So glad you, your wife and cat are o.k.

I am just throwing this out there, so don't you all attack me. 

I have looked at these pictures for a couple days, and something just keeps bugging me.  I keep going back to the man in that truck and looking at his head cocked to the side and looks tilted back slightly that just looks odd to me.  And is his left arm draped over the steering wheel or holding the steering wheel?

I showed these pictures to my husband, and I said why is his head cocked to the side like that and look at his left arm on the wheel.  And he immediately said, look at the cell phone.  What cell phone? 

If you look under his chin, you see the sliver of black that looks like the top of a cell phone.  I said that may explain why it has been bothering me about why his head is cocked that way.  Does anyone else see to top of a black cell phone (look right under his chin)?

Is holding that cell phone up with his right arm, across his chest, to read it?  His head cocked at that angle to read a text, and head slightly back like you would do to focus his eyes on what he is reading?

Did he have his cell phone in his right hand, held up, against his left arm that is on the steering wheel?

Is it possible for the police or Insurance company to get cell tower records that would have a record of cell phone activity in that exact location, at that exact time of the accident?  I know they can track pings if they have a cell phone number.  But not sure if they can do this without a cell number to track.  If so, there is your guy.  Or if by chance he is caught, check his cell phone records putting him at the place of the accident.

Hope you recover quickly.

[VBistro]

This is horrifying, but I am so glad to hear that you are all well and that you want to continue adventuring!

EDITED TO ADD:  You've also inspired us to pick up a dash cam....thank you.

[Brad-Beth]

Zoom in and enlarge the picture on the truck.

The "Dodge" graphic on the top of the windshield.  Easy to single out if the police were looking.

The dashboard full of stuff, with the black book, and some other white paperwork on the dash.

His backseat looks like it is full of crap behind him.

Then look at his truck bed... full of boxes and stuff.

A contractor?  Work site dude? 

I just hope you find this guy; they take his driver's license and more, and this person is off the road.  This could have been a more disastrous outcome. 

[Brad-Beth]

Another point I would like to make.  The people who were following and pulled over to call 911 and help, they had a dash cam.  Would it be possible for the OP to have them check their dash cam, a few minutes just before the wreck, and see if they have video of the black truck passing them by?  Can they see the man?  Can they see what is on the dashboard on that white paper?  And can they see what is in his truck bed that may be a clue to find him?  There is a box in the bed and other stuff thrown in there.  Maybe that will lead to clues what is in the box or his profession.

I guess what was nagging at me, was he was not driving in a normal upright position, both hands on the wheel, looking straight forward like you normally would drive.  So he was distracted looking at a text, medical issue, or passed out?  If he was passed out, he would be slumped forward, or head back with his mouth open.

It looks like the Ollie stayed on the hitch and the chains connected to the tow vehicle.  I can't see if he was using the sway control.  Hard to tell from the picture.  Would like to know how the coupler held up and if it was locked with the pin or key lock.  The weight of the Ollie may have saved their lives preventing the truck from going full airborne and possibly rolling over a couple more times.  Amazing that the doorframe on the Ollie held up, that is one strong doorframe.

I just hope they find the guy and the cause of this accident.  Take care everyone.

 

[ScottyGS]

Oh.. one more thought.    If you find out who this guy is...  You can probably sue him for damages.   But... most states have a 30 day statute of limitations for motor vehicle offenses.  This clearly is careless driving, which is a "willful or wanton disregard for the safety of other motorists / property".  At least that's a paraphrase of the NJ motor vehicle code and I'm sure most states have a similar statute.   So, if you want to pursue that the clock is ticking.  Not sure if charging / conviction of the traffic offense would help a lawsuit but it couldn't hurt.    Besides... he deserves it. 

[QuestionMark]

Great ideas from everyone on how we might track this individual down.   I even tried driving around on Google maps to see if I could see it parked in someone's driveway.   No such luck yet. I am going to keep trying even if my wife thinks it is way out there.    Thanks again to everyone's support for us during this unique event.   My wife, Midnight the cat, and I continue to feel fine with no physical trauma other than the mental part of replaying the rollover in our minds.  

I have had several of my co-workers contact me and let me know they have purchased a dash-cam after hearing our story.   I can't stress enough how much it helped with the police report and the insurance companies so far.

 

Mark, Cyndi and Midnight the Cat

[Frank C]

21 minutes ago, QuestionMark said:

Great ideas from everyone on how we might track this individual down.   I even tried driving around on Google maps to see if I could see it parked in someone's driveway.   No such luck yet. I am going to keep trying even if my wife thinks it is way out there.    Thanks again to everyone's support for us during this unique event.   My wife, Midnight the cat, and I continue to feel fine with no physical trauma other than the mental part of replaying the rollover in our minds.  

I have had several of my co-workers contact me and let me know they have purchased a dash-cam after hearing our story.   I can't stress enough how much it helped with the police report and the insurance companies so far.

 

Mark, Cyndi and Midnight the Cat

Have you also posted on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc and asked folks to share the picture of the truck?   It’s amazing how quickly some criminals have been tracked down after sharing a picture on social media sites.   The way the world is connected these days, it’s likely that someone will share and someone else will recognize that truck as belonging to a neighbor or co-worker.    If you can provide a nice sharp image file and give permission, everyone on this forum could repost on other social media sites.  That would be a huge team of eyes looking for that a**hole. 

[Boonter Jeff]

Thank you for sharing this.  Good on you for getting back in the saddle again.  It’s hard to imagine that this wouldn’t give you some nightmares.  Just out of curiosity, do you have an idea of how fast you were going when this happened?  How about the other guy?  I apologize if you already discussed this and I missed it.  The bottom line is that you weren’t injured.  Something to be said for newer vehicles with extra air bags.

[topgun2]

BJ - 

Its hard to read but if you look closely at the pics posted it appears that the MPH is either 55 or 65.

Bill

[Brad-Beth]

John E Davies has the best idea to get the story on the local news, the video, and the picture of the guy's truck.  The truck is easily identifiable.

And that guy's face and chin is easily identifiable too.

I wonder if it can be determined what year the truck is.

[Boonter Jeff]

One other thought I had was that there is a good chance the driver was in an alcoholic (or other drug) blackout.  That means that he might not even remember what he did, assuming he made it to his destination in one piece.  If they don’t nail him this time, it’s likely he’ll do it again with possibly even more dire consequences.

[gatorewc]

Thank you for sharing.  So glad you had great assistance and survived the ordeal.  Hope you get your new Ollie soon and insurance treats you fairly.  I wished these new trucks would implement all the cameras on the TV to record all activity.  The technology is certainly there.  If the Ollie rear cam would record, you may have been able to see the rear tag with some magnification of the picture.

[SeaDawg]

Pretty sure that's an older Dodge Ram, 1997 to 2001, second generation design. Look at the grill and the rectangular insets for fog lamps, if ordered, and the rectangular shape of the headlights. (Grill became a little more rounded and bigger, in the 2002 through 2008 redesign, and the fog lamp inset is round, headlights one unit and more of a European look. )

I'd agree, probably a work truck.  How many extended cab, grey Dodge Ram pickups can there still be on the road in that area, 21 to 25 years old? 

[QuestionMark]

Just a quick follow up to let everyone know both Cyndi and I continue to do well with no hidden injuries from our rollover accident.   In addition, we were successful in finding and purchasing a 2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II this past week and have just now returned to our home location after successfully making some of our originally planned stops from our interrupted vacation on Apr 2nd.   It is truly amazing we were uninjured in the accident and able to get back on our feet with truck and trailer within the remaining two weeks of our scheduled vacation.      

Thanks again for all the support the Oliver community has given us these past few weeks.  This alone should convince anyone on the fence about purchasing the best built travel trailer on the market.

Mark and Cyndi

 

 

[topgun2]

Congrats to you guys! 

Glad that things are working out for you and that your health continues to be good.

Bill

[Steph and Dud B]

Happy to hear you have another Ollie and are already enjoying it!

[rideandfly]

Mark and Cyndi,

Sorry to hear about the accident, but happy to hear y'all are OK! Congrats on a new to you Ollie and TV!

Best Regards,

Bill and Debbie

[Dave and Kimberly]

I'm happy to see that you are back on the road in an awesome LEII.

[SeaDawg]

So happy to see you back on the road! What a great looking rig!

[Imelda]

I am sorry to hear this and that you are all well. I think we past you on the road in New Mexico driving out Oliver on that day between Clovis and Fort Summer. We only saw one Oliver on our trip out to Utah. I had quite a few things go wrong on my trip but nothing like this. I cancelled the insurance on my Oliver but I am thinking that might be a mistake. Too many crazy drivers out there. 

[Rivernerd]

10 minutes ago, Imelda said:

cancelled the insurance on my Oliver but I am thinking that might be a mistake. Too many crazy drivers out there. 

Agreed.  We plan to have insurance coverage in place the very day we pick up our Elite II.  We won't leave home without it.

[topgun2]

26 minutes ago, Imelda said:

I cancelled the insurance on my Oliver but I am thinking that might be a mistake.

If you can afford replacing your Ollie out of your own pocket and/or you enjoy taking the risk, then, you certainly can cancel your "collision insurance".  But, in today's world I trust that you would not consider cancelling your liability insurance on the Oliver.

Bill

[Patriot]

Mark and Cyndi,

Congratulations on your new rig and most of all to good health! 
May all your adventures be happy, safe miles and smiles!

A very nice choice in TV vehicle as well! 😊

Onward! 

- David