Charleston, SC – Mayhem Strikes

Yep, just like the Allstate commercial, stuff happens and it happened to us. I will start out with the fact that we are perfectly safe. And that it had been well over 40 years since I’ve had a claim on my insurance policy. That run has ended. Sadly, here’s what happened on the way to our RV park in Charleston, SC when Mayhem Strikes…

The Incident

Our campground reservations were at the highly touted county park in Charleston, SC, called the James Island County Park. This park is amazing for all that it offers and we have been looking forward to our visit.

I had planned our route from Myrtle Beach to Charleston and checked all the roads. The route was actually planned using my Garmin RV GPS and the park’s recommended route. The park states to enter the park from Riverland Drive. That is where the trouble began.

Riverland Drive is a beautiful but very narrow two lane street that is lined with majestic live oaks that provide a low canopy over the street. Very pretty when you are not driving a big rig that is about 13 feet 4 inches tall. Also, the street did not have any warning signs about low clearance.

I noticed the low tree limbs, but it is very hard to tell if they will clear while driving the truck. I tried to veer around the lowest ones when opposing traffic allowed me to use all the road. The trees are some 400-500 year old live oaks that we found out have trimming restrictions.

I was just starting down the 1.5 mile lane when I heard and felt a small tug when an approximately 6 inch tree limb clipped both of my roof mounted air conditioner units. Pat follows behind me and we use walkie talkies while driving. She confirmed that some tree limbs and bark fell off the back. Oh crap!

The rest of the mile and half was a bit of a nightmare. Trying to avoid any more of the lower limbs while not tying up traffic. Pretty much stressed out. You have to understand that I have been extremely careful in the 2.5 years since we have had the RV. There is not a scratch on it. I avoid any brush, twigs, even leaves. I wash and wax it regularly and it still pretty much looks like new. Don’t know why I’m like that because it is just stuff and can be replaced.

We soon arrived at the park’s office and I could see some damage to the A/C’s covers from a distance. Crap! Not knowing the full damage, and maybe not wanting to know, I checked in at the office. Asking the front desk folks about the low tree limbs, they cheerfully announced that yes, it happens all the time and here is a phone number to call the city for a claim form. I just keeps getting better.

Once we were parked at our site, I climbed up the back ladder to inspect the damage. Thankfully, it was just the A/C units that were crushed, and not any obvious roof damage.

The Repair

My main concern was a potential water leak from rain that was in the forecast. With both A/C’s damaged, who knows if the waterproof seal to the coach was broken. That and maybe some roof damage that I did not find.

We called every RV dealer and repair outfit in the Charleston area. Not a single one could work us in within a month. Not good. The RV repair business is like that about everywhere. Very difficult for full timers like us.

After a frustrating day of unfruitful cell phone calls, I decided to try our dealer (RV Outlet) back at Myrtle Beach where we purchased the rig. After I explained what happened, the service manager agreed to work us in just due to the fact that we bought there. Other customers are on a month wait. Kudos to RV Outlet!

I really did not want to drive the few hours back up north again on our journey to Florida, but this seemed like the best bet. The damage occurred on a Friday and they got us in first thing on Monday morning.

The repair included replacing both A/C units and repairing the bent ladder. Thankfully, no real roof damage, just a scraped up skylight that I opted not to replace.

The Aftermath

On the Saturday after arriving in Charleston, I discussed the RV damage with the folks in the park office. My point was to place a large warning on their website and literature that rigs over 12 feet tall should not attempt to enter the park.

They were understanding and all, but doubt if they will do anything about it. I just checked their campground website and there is no mention of the issue. Maybe if they ignore it the issue goes away?

Next, I called the city/county office phone number provided to me at the campground office. The claims office. The person answering acknowledged, that yes, they were aware of low hanging tree limbs on Riverland and if I wished to file a claim, I would have to provide forms and several pieces of documentation. It did not sound too promising, plus the city/county has up to 180 days to respond to my claim. That’s our efficient government.

Claim form to the Charleston DOT submitted. In the meantime, I called my insurance agent and explained it all. He suggested to go ahead and file a claim on my policy. That is why we have insurance after all. I paid for all the work myself and certainly hope for some assistance down the road.

Wrap Up

So, what did I learn from this little hiccup down our RV Journey road? Well, I do extensive RV park research and route planning. Not sure what else I can do. I did miss a couple of reviewers that mentioned big rig access problems. 95% of the park reviews were positive. So, maybe read every single park review before finalizing the route?

While we were still at the James Island campground, I asked another large 5th wheel owner about his route in and out of the park. He takes the same route, but weaves back and forth between the trees. He admitted having some damage too a few years ago. But keeps coming back I thought. Hmmm.

Not wanting to cause anymore damage on the way out on the now infamous Riverland Drive, I drove extremely slow and weaved back and forth on a very busy, narrow, two lane road. To be able to swerve into the left lane, I had to stop in my lane until the other lane cleared. This was the process down the 1.5 mile road.

No kidding, I took a full 30 minutes to navigate this treacherous pain in the a$$ road. The kind folks following me for this half hour were not too pleased either. Lots of horn honking and waving gestures. There may have been a hundred cars backed up on the 1.5 miles. And I was not really too concerned about them being late for whatever. I justed wanted to escape this hell hole of a road.

One guy in a truck passed me on the left while I was in the left lane, by going through someone’s front yard. I was impressed that he could wave as he sailed by.

The bottom line is that it was just some things damaged. We were fine and no good reason to get all stressed out. Easy to say now after a few weeks later.

Our planned week stay in Charleston got scrubbed by having to go back to Myrtle Beach, so next up is the beautiful southern city of Savannah, Georgia. Take care, God Bless, and watch out for Mayhem!