Crashed on the interstate while towing the R-Pod

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   We were on day two of our first big adventure with our new R-Pod 177 and the afternoon ended badly. Everyone is unhurt, but the R-Pod and car are both in need of some significant repairs.
The short story is that we were trucking along I-40 in Tennessee en route to our next stopover in Nashville. About 30 miles west of Knoxville, we were going down a big right hand bend, sway started, wouldn't stop (we have WDH and sway control, but it wasn't enough). We ended up hitting the guardrail, jack-knifed the wrong way on the Interstate. 

Considering what the accident might have been, we actually got pretty lucky. The damage is significant, but the TV and R-Pod were both still drivable. State troopers and sheriffs both arrived quickly and helped us get off the highway. They escorted us to the next exit, then did the accident report while we surveyed the damage. 

The car has some bad scrapes where it hit the guardrail, but the bad spot is on the back panel where the R-Pod folded into it. We're a little wary of trying to open the back door since we're not convinced it'll close again, but hopefully it's just cosmetic work.

The biggest problem with the R-Pod is that the hitch got badly twisted. Our sway hitch ball is also bent beyond recognition. There's some trim damage where it punched into the car and the sheriff had fun picking blue paint chips from the car out of the R-Pod. The door seems to be sticking a little too so we have to make sure the frame didn't get bent or something else serious like that. 

We were lucky enough to have the accident just 10 miles from a really big RV center with service department (Boat 'n RV in Rockwood, TN). The sheriff escorted us the rest of the way down the interstate to show us where the RV place was and made introductions with the manager on our behalf.

(The only injury was a skinned knee that happened when I had to chase our cat across the parking lot. He apparently didn't like being in the R-Pod during the accident and busted right through the screen door while we were filling out paperwork). 

Major thanks to the Tennessee troopers and sheriffs. They did a ton to help us get safely off the road and to the RV center. Big thanks also to the staff here at Boat n' RV. They gave us a campsite for the night free of change while we wait for the service department to open this morning. 

Today it's talking to service, working with the insurance adjuster, and seeing how long before we can get back on the road.

Here's some pictures of the damage.

Twisted hitch:

Where the R-Pod folded into the car:

Trim damage on the R-Pod

I'll let you know what the service department here says about the damage to the R-Pod. Hopefully it's a quick fix and we're back on the road soon!