Guy’s Weekend Mishap

Just got back from our annual guy’s fishing weekend. It was an adventure as usual.

We were involved in a small accident on the way to the cabin, which involved both our tow vehicles. One which was hauling the sleds and the other that was towing an inclosed trailer with all our houses and other essentials for the weekend. Long story short, there was some damage to the sled trailer and bumper of a truck.

Well, when we got back to town we started to divy up the gas money amongst the 9 of us (drivers don’t pay to offset the wear and tear on the vehicles, and for driving) which leaves the split amongst 7. The talk of the damage came up, and who should be responsible. Without getting into too many details, the majority of the group decided to split the deductible for the bumper, and the owner of the trailer chose not to accept any money, as the damage was minor.

Being this group is all family and inlaws, no one really questioned it, but not everyone agreed with it. And, granted, splitting a $500 deductible among 7 guys isn’t going to break anyone.

Just curious if anyone has an outside perspective on it, and if your group hasn’t done so already, make sure you hammer out details like this before something happens.

I’d just let it go on this one but if I was asked to drive in future trips I’d also be sure to have a clear understanding of what was expected should something like this arise again. If someone has an issue with the arrangement, he can drop out and find someone else who will help out.

YUP… what Tom said.

We ran into a issue like that on a Group outing a few years ago. The Guy who wanted to drive ( there were several offers )had the transmission go out on our way to lake of the woods. To make a long story short he expected the rest of the group to chip in on his Transmission repair. It turned into a rather ugly issue and several friendships went bad over it. I guess in your case it would depend on who was driving and who was at fault of the accident. if the person who was the ower of the vehicle was driving and the accident was his fault then I don’t know why he would expect help paying his deductible. If it was the other drivers fault most likely he will not have to pay any duductibe at all the other party insurance should end up paying that.

Not quite sure if you’re in favor of the split or not. I haven’t experienced anything quite like this before so not sure if this is normal for a group or not. I should note, that I was not a driver, and consider myself part of the “not in agreement” group. If I’m out of line on this, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m sure there will be plenty of discussion about this with the group, as it was 50/50, for and against.

I think you guys handled your situation well but mechanical failure is purely on the owner in my opinion. No way I am responsible for a guys tranny just because I happen to be in his vehicle at the time.

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We ran into a issue like that on a Group outing a few years ago. The Guy who wanted to drive ( there were several offers )had the transmission go out on our way to lake of the woods. To make a long story short he expected the rest of the group to chip in on his Transmission repair. It turned into a rather ugly issue and several friendships went bad over it. I guess in your case it would depend on who was driving and who was at fault of the accident. if the person who was the ower of the vehicle was driving and the accident was his fault then I don’t know why he would expect help paying his deductible. If it was the other drivers fault most likely he will not have to pay any duductibe at all the other party insurance should end up paying that.

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A third vehicle stopped short in front of the sled trailer (which stopped), the second truck couldn’t stop and rear ended the sled trailer. The car caused it, but got away free. I leave the “at fault” for your discression.

The car wasn’t at fault and neither was the vehicle behind them. It was the last vehicle that was to close and caused the accident. IMO the driver of the last vehicle is responsible, which is easier if it is the owner of the vehicle. I wouldn’t be happy paying for someone else’s bad driving.

If the sled trailer got stopped then it was not the car’s fault. It was the second trailer’s fault for following too close to the first IMO.

I have no opinion on who should pay for it other than if the driver of the second truck was not the owner of the truck then he should be paying.

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The car wasn’t at fault and neither was the vehicle behind them. It was the last vehicle that was to close and caused the accident. IMO the driver of the last vehicle is responsible, which is easier if it is the owner of the vehicle. I wouldn’t be happy paying for someone else’s bad driving.

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This sounds logical to me as well.

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The car wasn’t at fault and neither was the vehicle behind them. It was the last vehicle that was to close and caused the accident. IMO the driver of the last vehicle is responsible, which is easier if it is the owner of the vehicle. I wouldn’t be happy paying for someone else’s bad driving.

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Looks like you replied while I was typing mine out, agreed with what you said!

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We ran into a issue like that on a Group outing a few years ago. The Guy who wanted to drive ( there were several offers )had the transmission go out on our way to lake of the woods. To make a long story short he expected the rest of the group to chip in on his Transmission repair. It turned into a rather ugly issue and several friendships went bad over it.

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For real? What is the logic behind that? So some guys happen to ride with him on a trip and whatever other wear and tear were done to his transmission over the years goes out the window?

The owners drove. I wouldn’t let anyone drive my baby either, besides, no one drives better than me.

Yeah, there was alot of blame being thrown around after the accident (road conditions, car stopping suddenly without signaling, etc.) All I could see from the back seat was locked brakes and a thump. Thought it was odd that the ABS on the truck didn’t activate either. The tires just locked and skidded. I know where insurance would put the blame, but noone would to a family member.

You are talking about $70 each… for friends and family members to keep one or two people from sucking it up… why worry about it. We’ve even chopped speeding tickets in a group, just cause the driver was pushing it for all of us… and not doing anything the rest wouldn’t have been.

The trany thing, that is all different.

I was with my father and buddy last year trailering to the MISS river… always drive, I have the truck and boat. Damn trolling motor wasn’t locked in right, yup my fault…. did some damage, and the other two guys chipped in. Any of us could have made the mistake, and it was part of “our” trip. Fair enough. I didn’t ask, but it was very nice.

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You are talking about $70 each… for friends and family members to keep one or two people from sucking it up… why worry about it. We’ve even chopped speeding tickets in a group, just cause the driver was pushing it for all of us… and not doing anything the rest wouldn’t have been.

The trany thing, that is all different.

I was with my father and buddy last year trailering to the MISS river… always drive, I have the truck and boat. Damn trolling motor wasn’t locked in right, yup my fault…. did some damage, and the other two guys chipped in. Any of us could have made the mistake, and it was part of “our” trip. Fair enough. I didn’t ask, but it was very nice.

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And that’s the other side of the coin. I see both sides of it. Also the reason I kicked in. Just want to see what the norm is, as this will be discussed at some point with the group.

I don’t tailgate, so i would be hard pressed to pay for a tailgating accident…I mostly cringe at the luck some people have by riding a$$ in slippery weather.

Though, if i was in the vehicle, with friends and family on a fishing trip, i don’t know what i would say. Tough situation, but my gut feel is i frig’n hate tailgaters, and therefore wouldn’t pitch in for the deductable.

I look at it like this!! The driver gets out of gas for wear and tear!!

enouph said!! hes on his own!! unless ofcource someone else was driving at the time!! then there insurance and he should pay the deductable..

good luck!

To answer the OP’s question…

I was part of a group of 20 people (friends or aquaintences) that collectively lost a rental canoe. Everyone was slightly to blame but no one was clearly at fault. I suggested that if each person of the group pitched in about 40 bucks the person who originally rented the canoe would not be stuck with the bill. I firmly stated that in good conscience I couldn’t not pay for something I was partially responsible for, but money wasn’t demanded of anyone. It was their choice.

Everyone eventually agreed to pitch in something to help. The difference is how it was approached. If the decision is left up to the person a good person will make a good choice. If money is demanded, ego gets involved and people make a stand. The funny thing was that after it was all said and done the missing canoe was found beached about a 1/4 mile down stream of the landing.

In your case, though, it was clearly the driver of truck #2’s fault. But chit happens, and he was nice enough to offer his vehicle to haul gear and a couple smelly dudes hundreds of miles for an annual guys weekend. I been that guy before, and “not paying for gas” does not offset the cost of wear and inconvienence and stress. And like you said, 500 bucks by 7 people ain’t that much. Not enough to cause sour feeling between guys in an annual trip anyway.

To me it’s a clear case of following too close for the driving conditions. I think from a legal perspective, if you rear end someone, the circumstances don’t matter, you’re at fault for following too close. The driver of the back truck should be financially responsible for all deducatbles. I know if it were me driving that truck and I rear ended the vehicle in front, I sure wouldn’t let anyone give me any money for my mistake.

I think when groups with mulitple vehicles travel together, a lot of the time it’s easy to get complacent and not pay close attention or follow too close. You know the driver in front of you and are confident they won’t do anything stupid, but that doesn’t help when someone in front of them does something irrational. It’s a tough deal, but pretty clear cut to me.

Like you said I see both sides of the story, the owners of the trucks in the group were driving, one thing is very clear out of this whole deal none of the passenger’s were at fault, legally they do not have to pay a dime. But like you said this is family you are talking about here, it is not worth having bad feelings and a possible rift between family members over $70. To me this is an easy answer pay the $70 and keep peace in the family, money well spent IMHO.

The problem is there are sour feelings developing because some of us are paying for things we don’t feel responsible for. Alot of it could have been prevented by having a plan in place, which is what i’m trying to figure out how to do now. Perhaps the best plan is everyone just pay anequal share of all expenses, gas, tickets, propane, accidents and all, drivers included.

Its unfortunate, as the owner of the first truck and trailer kind of got screwed on the deal, as he also owns the cabin and didn’t want anything for the use of it, either. I would rather have seen him receive more than he did. I might just buy him something nice for the cabin.

Accidents happen,…especially in the winter. It happened to me one time and the group shared in the cost. No questions asked. Needless to say, they are my true friends and they are the 1st to be invited on trips. They have enjoyed my boat in Lake Michigan, my wheel fish house, and deer and turkey hunting on my farm. Need I say more??

If the guy in the second tow vehicle turned in a claim because he rear ended another trailer causing damage to that trailer, there is zero deductible for liability. Now if the guy who was pulling the busted up trailer turns in a claim, not only does the deductible apply, but he may lose a claims free discount or get nicked in insurance rates for something clearly not his fault. I’d let the insurance of the second truck cover the claim, now if his rates go up, he was the one who as strange as it sounds failed to maintain a proper distance and control of the truck with a trailer with extra weight attached. This is a good lesson, and I always thought about a persons truck going through the lake would the whole crew feel compelled to chip in? I know almost all would, but wouldn’t know till money is actually on the line.

I think they should let all the wives or girl friends get involved and use their solution.

It will not be going through insurance for this fender bender, as all parties agreed that the $500 deductible and the cost of bumper replacement were gonna be pretty close.

At this point, I’m thinking EVERYTHING needs to be split equally, all parties included. It’s the only way to ensure no hard feelings.

Hammer out the details folks, its not fun, but will save some hard feelings.

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I think they should let all the wives or girl friends get involved and use their solution.

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I’ll have an auger up for sale soon!

Coming home from Canada 4 years ago. My truck and boat. Buddy driving. South of the twin cities about 30 miles in heavy traffic going 75 plus. Hit a retread in the road ( couldn’t avoid it with out causing an accident). Passenger side drive tire exploded. Tore the mirror off, ruined the factory running board, ruined the rim, and bent the quarter panel. He did an excellent job getting us safely off the road. We split my $500 deductible 8 way. Everyone was alright with it. On group trips sometimes (most times) something unexpected happens. You just have to deal with it IMHO.

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The car wasn’t at fault and neither was the vehicle behind them. It was the last vehicle that was to close and caused the accident. IMO the driver of the last vehicle is responsible, which is easier if it is the owner of the vehicle. I wouldn’t be happy paying for someone else’s bad driving.

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x2 It is not your fault the driver of the enclosed trailer was either not paying attention or was following too close.
I would not be paying for this if it were me in the situation.

I think when you decide to be the driver you assume all ‘wear and tear’ or liabilities of your driving. There is NO WAY i would accept a dime from anyone else in the vehicle. Nor would i expect anyone to ask me for cash if they had a mishap.

The transmission story is absolutely hilarious thay someone would expect others to pay for years and 10’s of thousands of miles of wear and tear just cuz it happened when others were in the vehicle.

Judge Judy says the guy in the rear is responsible for both parties damages – she also finds it laughable that you would blame the car in front. You are responsible for following at a safe distance given the conditions.

If you were in a carpool headed to work and the driver got in an accident would you expect the others in the car to chip in for damages? Why then if you are on the way fishing instead would the situation change at all?

I gotta concur, the driver assumes responsibility, not only for his vehicle, but literally your life too. I would be hard pressed to pay for someone else’s poor driving, whether it’s $70 or $7….Now if you hit a deer, I could see helping definitely, but rear ending another vehicle, naw. (we drove a rental van to Canada fishing and hit a black bird and took out a headlght assembly, we all chipped in on that one happily)