On April 10th, 2024, Fox News online reported a physician who was killed when she was ejected from a moving Airstream trailer. The full article can be seen here.
According to the New York State Police, “Monika I. Woroniecka age 58, along with other family members were riding in the trailer for the last 20 minutes of their trip from Stony Brook. Witnesses behind the Airstream claimed they saw the passenger side door of the Airstream open, Monika Woroniecka’s arm hanging on the door after the wind caused the door to swing open, causing her to be thrown from the Airstream. Monika subsequently struck her head on the shoulder of the roadway.”
2019 Gray Ram pick-up truck, operated by Robert P. Woroniecki, age 59 from Stony Brook, NY was pulling a 2024 Gray Airstream (House Trailer) westbound on SR 12E in Brownville, Jefferson County, NY. Photo: NYSP
This is an unfortunate accident, but the article suggests that the victim and the family considered it an acceptable risk.
To be clear, this RV did not malfunction or have a design flaw. Someone didn’t close the door tightly, and the decedent tried to latch the door while the vehicle was in motion and lost her balance. This is an unbelievably sad occurrence.
Towable RVs and truck campers are not designed to be occupied while the vehicle is in motion. There are no seat belts or other safety apparatus, and the structures of most trailers will not withstand a collision or rollover. Further, as seen in this case, the doors are not designed with safety latches like automobiles. They are RV entry doors providing security only.
I have seen many RVs involved in wrecks over the years. Most of them involved in an interstate collision require a front-end loader and a dumpster or two to clean up. Even motorhomes don’t perform well in a bad enough wreck. 5 people were killed in a horrendous wreck on I-81 in Pennsylvania in August of 2023: four in a motorhome and one in a tandem tractor-trailer. The crash, caused by a blown front tire, made national news and was of a kind that no vehicle could survive.
Debris is shown from an accident involving a pickup pulling a camper trailer on Interstate 76 that struck an overpass guardrail and fell onto Highway 144 on Monday afternoon, June 17. (Photo courtesy Morgan County Sheriff / The Fort Morgan Times)
This crash in Morgan County, CO, as shown above, would have been fatal if someone had been riding in the trailer. As it was, the passengers in the truck were seriously injured.
Don’t ride in a trailer or truck camper, regardless of whether it is legal in your state. Be RV Smart!
