The Front Came Off

      Anthony Pascarella via Facebook Facebook screenshot

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      A family in Utah experienced a tough lesson on how not to extract an RV from a ditch when their motorhome became stuck in sand during Easter weekend.

      Dashcam footage shared on the Lake Powell Recreation Facebook page shows the attempted rescue. A motorhome is visible stuck on Lone Rock Beach, with a Ford Super Duty and what appears to be a relatively new Ram HD trying to pull it free while a side-by-side observes. Unfortunately, it seems the individuals involved lacked a solid understanding of towing techniques, leading to a predictable outcome.

      The front end came off—and that's not something you typically see, I want to emphasize that point.

      It turns out that the front of an RV and the windshield are not structural elements, and if sufficient force is applied, they can detach. One onlooker's hands-on-head reaction perfectly captures the situation. Even if the Ram had been correctly attached to the RV, this daisy chain arrangement is dubious at best, with the ropes or chains seemingly connected to each truck’s ball hitch.

      I’m curious about the social consequences that follow an incident like this. If the Ram driver was trying to assist as a Good Samaritan and didn’t know the RV owners, who is responsible in this situation? Who will pay for the damages? Does the existence of the aforementioned footage jeopardize the RV owners’ chances of filing an insurance claim?

      So many questions I hope I never have to answer personally.

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