RV collides with pickup on Western Slope, local man dies By Kieran Nicholson The Denver Post Posted: 06/22/2011 07:20:46 AM MDT Updated: 06/22/2011 07:23:37 AM MDT A front tire on an RV blew out on the Western Slope Tuesday and the vehicle crashed into an oncoming pickup, killing the truck's driver. The fatal crash happened at about 4:55 p.m. east of Parachute on U.S. Highway 6, according to a Colorado State Patrol media release. The RV, driven by James Vanacore, 68, of Florida, was westbound on I-70 when a front tire blew out and Vanacore lost control, the state patrol said. The RV ran off of the road, through a deer fence and into the eastbound lane of Highway 6 where it slammed head on into a pickup truck driven by Vance Flynn, 35, of Rifle. People in the RV had "minor injuries" and were treated at the scene. Flynn, who was alone in the pickup, was trapped inside and had to be cut out by firefighters. He was flown by helicopter to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction where he died at about 6:30 p.m., the state patrol said.
Very sad. Just a reminder to all of us, especially motor home owners to keep up on tire maintance! -Check pressures before each trip. -Weigh your coach on each corner to know the weight so you can inflate the tires to the correct pressure. -Check age of tires, replace if 7 years old or older. -Store the tires covered to reduce sun/weather damage. Also store them on paved surfaces with the coach level. Hope everyone's trips are safe ones!
One more item I do each time we move the motorhome. I bang (check sound) on all tires before we start up the engine and this is done if I drive a couple miles to oil up the systems. I also check air pressure a lot but see very little drop due to the truck tires we use. You never know if you have run over a nail or some small item that will leak off the air. This can lead to a large problem very fast.
I hate to hear that. I drove truck for a living and the best advice I can give alot of you is to slow it down. I know we would hate the RVs that would block up the middle lane, but the scary ones are the RVs that put it in the hammer lane and run 80 mile an hour or better. pressure, heat and speed are what blow most tires. When you have a steering tire blow its hard enough to control and worse the higher the speeds.
