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Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Killer RV awnings? Don't laugh!

A personal injury lawyer writing on the website Injuryboard.com, tells of the potential dangers involving awnings attached to the side of RVs and horse trailers. Attorney Brent Adams writes that awnings rolled up and fastened to the side of the vehicle may become dislodged and hang out towards oncoming traffic.

The hazard, he explains, is so common that one RV manufacturer stated on its website: "There are two types of RVers -- those that have had their awnings blown off and those that will!"

He cites the death of a Alabama city councilman who was killed when passing a horse trailer in tow. “When the two vehicles met, the awning assembly from the trailer struck Mr. Bassett's windshield, killing him instantly.” The situation was caused by a defective lock on the awning, said Adams.

In a subsequent lawsuit, it was discovered that the retractable arms of the awning were equipped with metal folding locks that were insufficient to withstand the wind which occurs while a vehicle is driving down the highway.

posted by Chuck Woodbury at 10/03/2007 09:01:00 AM

35 Comments:

  • Oh my Gawd! We need more info on this! What brand of awning was it? How was it attached? What were the "locks" made of and how configured?
    I realize this site may not have answers but, would sure be good to know!!
    Jay B.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:07 AM, October 13, 2007  

  • I had a 22 ft awning on a 1995 Dolphin class A Mtr HM Come unrolled while I was traveling down the highway at 65 MPH. The awning was not supported in the center and the constant up and down motion while going down the road, Caused the rivets in the end cap to break and let the awning unroll when the wind caught it. It was like a big sail and pulled me across 3 lanes of traffic. I almost went over a cliff. I managed to stop inches from the edge. The wind was blowing about 30 MPH. The Locks on the side braces did not hold against such force when the End cap broke loosing the spring tension which holds the awning in place and rolled up.
    Mel B

    By Blogger Mel, at 11:04 AM, October 13, 2007  

  • We always attach three velcro straps on each awning arm before we hit the road.

    By Blogger patcrowther, at 11:05 AM, October 13, 2007  

  • Wow, talk about a scare. Now i am afraid to use my RV for fear of killing someone.
    How about some photos of the problem locks and some solutions to prevent this from happening!

    Come on Chuck, give us some more information on this.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:14 AM, October 13, 2007  

  • We've had the awning on our Pace Arrow unroll numerous times in high winds while we were traveling. In spite of taking it in to have the locks replaced it continues to happen. It's not only dangerous, imagine being in high wind and rain and getting out to try to roll it back in, only to have it happen a few miles down the road. It terrifies me!!!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:05 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • Can someone tell me how an RV awning can unfurl into oncoming traffic? Maybe a window awning could but I think we're talking about the main curbside awning here.

    Regular inspection and maintenance and some velcro straps should keep everything in place. We have about 200,000 miles on our 1995 fifth wheel and have yet to have the awning come loose.

    By Blogger Bill & Jean, at 12:05 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • Rubbish . The large awnings are on the passenger side of ALL motorhomes. Oncoming traffic is on the driver side of the motorhome. Obviously, another lawyer out to make money off of RVers.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:24 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • Just another bunch of junk shoveled out by the RV manufacturers that we RVer's semm to just take. I for one am not taking it anymore. Sue the pants off of them.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:52 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • Is this really serious? I'm trying to think of a motorhome, 5th wheel, or trailer that has an awning mounted on the left side where it would interfere with on-coming traffic if it came loose while traveling down the highway ... I don't recall seeing any. This could not be common!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:17 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • 3 Class A motor homes since 1`985, and never have I seen an Awning come lose. Besides they are on the curb side too. To have an awning come lose in an accident would mean a very sudden stop, and that is not probable either.

    By Blogger systemsdesign, at 4:47 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • Great,,looking forward to getting the pics

    By Blogger RonR, at 4:50 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • Too many of the above comments take this too lightly. There is only a little (usually) aluminum latch cog wheel, along with the spring, holding that awning in. This easily gets stripped and with a good side wind, out comes the awning. Some people feel that straps around the arms will hold it in. Not true, as the awning unrolls from the tube. There are several after market items available that goes around the tube or locks it in.

    By Anonymous dakotadrifter, at 4:56 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • Alarmist SPAM at it's worst. No names, no brands, no facts, only a flashy headline. Is this the best you can do. Take a few minutes and check out the facts before you spam us again.
    Let me try it, looks like fun.
    "RV Tire Failures Cause Accidents with Serious Injury/Death" quoted from the same source as your article. Here is a link to the copyrighted article http://www.injuryboard.com/view.cfm/Topic=100038
    Hey, that is fun, wonder how many RV's are going to start checking tire pressure as a result of that article. NO ANSWERS, JUST ALARMIST SPAM!

    By Blogger RonR, at 5:15 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • We also have had both our slide-out awning and our passenger side awning unfurl while traveling - in spite of our efforts to secure them. They haven't effected others on the road, but getting them under control in high, gusty winds has been almost more than we could manage. We've just added awning clamps as additional security. We'll see how that works.

    By Blogger Pamela & Steve, at 7:35 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • Someone said name a RV with the awning on the drivers side. Our Grand Villa has 4 awnings. The drivers side awning in the front is about 10 to 12 feet long and extends out maybe 3 1/5 feet more or less. If that came loose on the highway at any speed it would go through the windshied of any oncoming vehicle.

    About 3 weeks ago we met a family that lost their awning on the freeway. They have now idea why it came off except there was a minor headwind.

    We lost the plastic cover off of our roof mounted front air cond unit when a semi truck and us closely passed each other going in opposite directions. The cover ripped off leaving small pieces on the air unit where it had been fastened on. We were in a high crosswind. Thought maybe a very small mini tornado was created by the passing of the two large vehicles at over 55 mph each. It was ripped off with a termendious roar. Startled the heck out of us.

    By Blogger tarscampbell, at 7:56 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • It took some searching but here's some more information about the incident. I guess horse trailers can have awnings on just about any side they want. Come to think of it, so could any RV. My guess is the vertical bracket came loose from the side and the awning, still rolled up, acted as a spear going through the councilman's windshield.

    http://www.beasleyallen.com/news/Awnings-Attached-to-RV-and-Horse-Trailers-may-be-Dangerous/

    By Blogger Robert, at 8:57 PM, October 13, 2007  

  • To Ron R. and "Rubbish!" poster of 10/13/07- Don't be so smug! Our brand new/ never used awning unfurled while we were on a major interstate highway. Following its "factory" repair, we used it once and followed the manufacturers instructions for retraction and securing for travel. Last week it unfurled and the entire assembly ripped off on a bridge. As there was no shoulder to pull over on, we can only hope and pray that nooone was injured in this disaster.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:57 AM, October 14, 2007  

  • We always secure our large awning with cable ties before hitting the road. Velcro can be prone to coming undone but cable ties won't. We started doing this after an "almost" incident but have no problems now.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:06 AM, October 14, 2007  

  • To prevent your awning from from unrolling place your pull down rod hook in the hole in the awning end cap roller and strap the rod to the awning arm. This will stop the roller from turning if becomes unlocked.
    A Happy Camper From Canada.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 7:17 AM, October 14, 2007  

  • More than half the bolts attaching my 2 awnings on my 05 Jamboree were loose because the were the wrong size (too short). Thankfully I caught it before traveling down the road to disaster. American junk! Sorry folks.

    By Blogger Don, at 7:51 AM, October 14, 2007  

  • More than half the bolts attaching my 2 awnings on my 05 Jamboree were loose because they were the wrong size (too short). Thankfully I caught it before traveling down the road to disaster. American junk! Sorry folks.

    By Blogger Don, at 7:54 AM, October 14, 2007  

  • Don, I had the same thing happen. Come to find out that there was nothing behind one of the bolts. I got ahold of the company but so what. I am a Jack of all trades so I fixed it and then replaced all the other bolts. Bigger and longer. I tend to use stainless steel for the outside of the rig but I can usually only find what I am looking for at Ace Hardware or at a boating supply shop. The RV industry cuts corners whereever and whenever they can and I for one am tired of it. But any regulatory reform will cost the customer in the long run. The agency that puts their sticker on the side of your RV now has no authority, no guidelines per se, and are nothing more than a dog and pony show that works for the RV companies....

    By Blogger Richard, at 10:58 AM, October 14, 2007  

  • Don, I had the same thing happen. Come to find out that there was nothing behind one of the bolts. I got ahold of the company but so what. I am a Jack of all trades so I fixed it and then replaced all the other bolts. Bigger and longer. I tend to use stainless steel for the outside of the rig but I can usually only find what I am looking for at Ace Hardware or at a boating supply shop. The RV industry cuts corners whereever and whenever they can and I for one am tired of it. But any regulatory reform will cost the customer in the long run. The agency that puts their sticker on the side of your RV now has no authority, no guidelines per se, and are nothing more than a dog and pony show that works for the RV companies....

    By Blogger Richard, at 11:11 AM, October 14, 2007  

  • This is interesting. Those of you that don't think this ever happens have not been talking with other RV owners at the parks. I have seen it happen (awning open while driving), have talked to many others that had the problem (and found out what they did to keep it from happening again - which is to put a strap around it) and it just happened to us. We had just crossed over a low bridge with water on both sides on our way to Cedar Creek, NC. Wind very heavy. Just as we came off the bridge and made a left turn my large awning on the passenger side extended all the way out. The heavy winds turned it into a parachute and blew me into on coming traffic - luck was with us as no one was coming. When I think of what could have happened if that awning had extended while I was on that bridge with the heavy winds and my heart stops. I secured tight. And I'll be damn if two days later while crossing another very long bridge on Hwy 64 (after leaving Kitty Hawk)with high winds blowing again, the awning "wiggled" out from under the awning retractor cover. It has been taped, strapped, bound and you name it for two months of our 4 month trip.

    By Anonymous Jerry Shea, at 12:02 PM, October 14, 2007  

  • This happened to us this summer while passing a truck/camper towing a boat on the freeway and the hubby is an absolute fanatic about locking, checking, then double checking to make sure that it is always in the lock position before we take off down the road. It was really windy and as we pulled back into the slow lane we felt a gust of wind and there went our awning. Everything let go and the awning completely unfurled with the arms hanging off the side of the 5th wheel. Lucky for us and the other vehicle that we had just pulled back into our lane or there could have been serious consequences for both of us. Believe me this will never happen again as we now put tie straps around each arm, bungee cords and then had 2 awning holders placed on either side of the top of the awning. We had to actually climb on top of the 5th wheel on the side of the freeway and cut the material from the top. The insurance agent told this is quite common and does happen a lot.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:52 PM, October 14, 2007  

  • Wow! Incredible that an oncoming motorist passed on the left side..., did I read this right... or are we in Europe? Last I noticed, all awnings on RV's are on the right side (passenger) of RV units. As a heavy hauler I am responsible for inspections on my equip. You also as RV'ers should due a thorough inspection before going down the road and go the extra mile by using common sense and securing everything properly.Also, you might not want to leave your porch and wander out into the world if you are looking for someone else to make sure no harm happens to you...(like a trial lawyer who helps push up insurance rates and push jobs to the other side of the border).......really!

    By Blogger getreel, at 3:18 PM, October 14, 2007  

  • I had my door awning try to come loose with heavy cross wind. That tighten the old pucker string. I have since taken the velcro approach (change about every 6 months due to sun damage)to it and the bungie cords locking the locks in place.
    I rarely use the awnings as you can hardly go anywhere without putting them up as you might get hit with a wind that will tear them to shreds and damage the RV. All of this having been said and the insurance companies agreeing to the problem sounds like a BIG law suit fixing to happen some where.
    Who does the R&D on these products???

    By Anonymous Bob n Carol, at 8:01 PM, October 14, 2007  

  • We too had our awning come unwrapped. We were between Chappel, Neb. and Cheyenne, WY. We had side winds gusting to 55 mph. Fortunately when we pulled over and were contemplating how we were going to roll it back up (the winds were steady at 30mph plus add the wind from traffic), a gust of wind came along and rolled it back up. We had the arms bungeed but that did not stop the awning.

    My husband crawled up on the top and wrapped two bungees around the awning itself while fighting to not be blown off. Again, fortunately we have the cover which is bigger than the awning itself. This enables us to wrap it up.

    We do not unwrap it when stopped but we do when we get back to our homebase. Because I am paranoid about this happening again, even though it is not his favorite thing to do, I make him climb up on the roof and wrap it up.

    By the way, we have friends who also lost their awning in that same stretch of road. We know others have also - so beware. We also know people who have lost awnings when crossing narrow bridges.

    By Blogger Charlotte, at 10:40 PM, October 14, 2007  

  • While traveling south on Interstate 25 from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico with our 1999 Nash travel trailer, a dust devil hit us, and completely tore off our awning, arms and all. I stopped and luckily another motorist stopped and helped me retrieve the awning from the middle of the freeway. The awning did not unroll, but just came off with the arms. Luckily there was not much traffic behind me. Couldn't figure out what caused the arms to come off. That trip hit a hailstorm out of Vaughn, New Mexico that damaged the siding so bad that the insurance company had to total the trailer.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:30 PM, October 15, 2007  

  • We just went camping with someone who camped in a camper/horse trailer, the awning was on the left side. Most horse trailer awnings are on the left, the article said a horse trailer.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:51 AM, October 17, 2007  

  • I used to continually have this problem on a former coach even with velcro straps around the support arms. We bought a product that is basically a metal ring that goes around the main awning shaft. It tightens using your awning "pull down" hook when the awning is rolled up. Then it can't unfurl. Never had another problem. We got it at Pharr RVs in Lubbock, Tx.

    By Anonymous Vannyman, at 8:08 AM, October 17, 2007  

  • I would like to know what kind of rigs those folks have who say there are no awnings on the drivers side. Sure, the slide out awning is on the passenger side, but our sun/wind/rain/big awning is over our entry door on the driver's side. We have seen dozens of awnings in the median or along the side of the road along Interstate 80. Those who don't think it happens are dreaming. Our New Horizons awning is very secure (both awnings) but we are still aware of the possibilities.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:37 PM, October 18, 2007  

  • I HAVE NEVER NOTICED AN AWNING ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF AN RV. COULD YOU PLEASE GIVE MORE INFO

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:19 PM, October 31, 2007  

  • This is news to me in So, Ca. with high winds from time to time (santa ana winds) No matter what side the awning is. This should be so what of a wake up call to the general public. I was in the desert riding ATV's when my awning snaped loosed and the arms broke. As I searched the web looking for somwhere to purschase a repair kit of some kind, I ran acrros this info. Again one never knows what can happen while on the road.

    By Anonymous Mendez, at 7:59 PM, November 06, 2007  

  • This is a scary thought. I have seen awnings unroll from the passengers side but the drivers side is generally slide covers and only come out with the slide.
    But I have another question. Has anyone found a good usable solution to stop sagging slide awnings from water and debris without buying new ones. If you try to take out the end caps and rewind- man that would be a killer.

    By Anonymous BB in florida, at 6:39 PM, November 28, 2007  

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