Towing with a motorhome

JRyan · 11-15-2009, 05:41 PM

As one who is becoming "elderly" whether I want to or not, I can see how those things happen. I was the victim of a foot on the gas instead of brake scenarios awhile back right in my own back yard. My elderly neighbor was attempting to back up a homemade ramp to repair a tire on his little Dodge motorhome, and overshot the ramp backwards. Not wanting to run into the neighbors yard where kids were playing, he yanked it into low, and hit what he thought was the brake. Well it wasn't. It was the accelerator. He roared across his lawn and driveway, through the spot we normally park our enclosed trailer and car (it was in the street as we'd just returned from racing the previous night), ran right through my cherry little 1981 Malibu Wagon that WAS going to be an N/SA Stocker, and pushed it three feet through the sidewall of my garage.

I wish that were the end. Still with his foot planted on the accelerator, he backed off of the carnage into his son's yard again and proceeded to run over two lawn mowers a bike, and finally (thankfully) became high-centered on a snowmobile trailer which he crushed.

The story has a good ending though as he voluntarily turned in his drivers license. Will I or we be smart enough to do that BEFORE we get to that point? Probably not!

My sympathy to all of those involved in that Indiana tragedy.

Jerry

11-15-2009, 05:41 PM	#9
JRyan Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aberdeen SD Posts: 645 Likes: 30 Liked 112 Times in 31 Posts	Re: Towing with a motorhome As one who is becoming "elderly" whether I want to or not, I can see how those things happen. I was the victim of a foot on the gas instead of brake scenarios awhile back right in my own back yard. My elderly neighbor was attempting to back up a homemade ramp to repair a tire on his little Dodge motorhome, and overshot the ramp backwards. Not wanting to run into the neighbors yard where kids were playing, he yanked it into low, and hit what he thought was the brake. Well it wasn't. It was the accelerator. He roared across his lawn and driveway, through the spot we normally park our enclosed trailer and car (it was in the street as we'd just returned from racing the previous night), ran right through my cherry little 1981 Malibu Wagon that WAS going to be an N/SA Stocker, and pushed it three feet through the sidewall of my garage. I wish that were the end. Still with his foot planted on the accelerator, he backed off of the carnage into his son's yard again and proceeded to run over two lawn mowers a bike, and finally (thankfully) became high-centered on a snowmobile trailer which he crushed. The story has a good ending though as he voluntarily turned in his drivers license. Will I or we be smart enough to do that BEFORE we get to that point? Probably not! My sympathy to all of those involved in that Indiana tragedy. Jerry