Accident scene and
The accident took place in the intersection between Gervais and Gloucester streets in St. Albert, AB about 4pm June 21, 2004. I had a camera and was able to take some photos of the scene and vehicles just after it happened. There is a construction crew working on Gloucester near the intersection, but no construction signs were posted on Gervais at the time of the accident. Since the construction was on the north part of (left side) Gloucester and I was in the rightmost lane on Gervais I also couldn't see it over the several lanes of traffic when coming into the intersection.
- I was driving Camper2 eastbound in the rightmost lane on Gervais. The light was green and the crossing clear ahead so I proceeded through the intersection.
- Car1 was going southbound on Gloucester and had initially been stopped at the red light, but construction worker Crew3 waved it through the red light. I was not able to see this happening as I was in the rightmost lane and there was traffic in the left lanes obscuring the view of both the car and the crew member.
- When I (Camper2) drove through the intersection, Car1 came through the red light and hit me on the drivers side.
- According to Car1 driver and Jeremy (witness4) the construction worker Milo (Crew3) had initially been trying to stop traffic on Gervais, but then walked over to near the north-west corner of Gloucester where he was standing out of my view when I came to the intersection.
Picture 1: The scene immediately after the accident. My vehicle (Camper2) is the camper van with a kayak on top standing on the sidewalk where it came to a stop after having veered off the street from the impact. The truck right beside it is Jeremy (witness4) who was also going eastbound and stopped right after the incident. Car1 is out of the image just to the right (south) on Gloucester. The collision happened where there is some debris still on the road.
Picture2: From a bit further back on Gervais. Coming up to the intersection there was no roadwork signposting on Gervais, nor was it easy to see from the right lane what was going on far on the left side on the other street.
Damage to Campervan
The side of my camper was pushed in starting from the drivers seat area, and with a significant dent about midway. Towards the back some trim pieces were scraped off and the bumper twisted a bit. I was thrown into the door by the impact, but thankfully the bumper on the Marquis was low enough to put most of the initial impact on the frame and wheel, so there was only a few cm indentation in the driver door.
Details of first impact point. Front wheel arch and floor pushed in a bit. Rim dented and greasecap on the axle shaft broken off.
Evaluation
The police officer who came to the scene judged that the vehicles would still be drivable. I was told to get estimates for the vehicle repairs and a valuation for what similar camper would cost.I took the camper to my mechanic, Basco, and then to Southgate VW bodyshop for a check and estimate. Their response was that mechanically little is damaged (need to replace the bent rim, new speedo cable and grease cap, then check the alignment and suspension). Fixing this to make the camper roadworthy would cost only a few hundred. In terms of body damage they said it required more substantial work, and couldn't give a precise estimate on the spot. One complication is that the camper plumbing, wiring and kitchen appliances are on the side of the damage and need to be dismantled before accessing the inside.
I also asked for the camper value at Southgate VW. Their manager Jim Allen said the value woul be about $10,000. He also recommended me to check with autotrader. The current autotrader listings are attached. The particular model I have, the full camper with a Diesel engine is very rare. It was only offered in 1982. There was only one recent listing for an '82 Diesel (attached) for $9800. I called the number but was told it had already sold the first day it was advertised. Other watercooled campers sell for in the 10-20,000 range. Note that the aircooled campers (also available in the early 80's) are not comparable or nearly as desirable.
I use the camper exclusively for vacations in remote areas of the rockies, therefore I have paid attention to maintaining the mechanics in excellent state, while the body is about average for its year.
Additionally the engine was upgraded recently (at 142,000. Current odometer reading 175,000) by custom installing a more powerful turbo Diesel, and in conjunction with that overhauling the rest of the driveline (rebuilt transmission with gear ratios to match the higher torque of the bigger engine, new brakes, calipers, suspension components, performance exhaust etc. The price of parts alone was 5500. I was a student and did it with some mechanic friends. Al, the owner of Basco recently did one of these engine conversions and quotes the labour to 2500 on top of the parts price. (Call Al at 433-5101. He is willing to answer any questions on the upgrade and its value)
In summary we have an about average camper body, but with a lot of both money and personal effort invested in a driveline upgrade to make it a strong and reliable for exploring the mountains. I would not like to lose this. Since my vacation starts next week there is no time to completely fix the van right now. The VW shop suggested the following:
- Do the small but immediately needed mechanic repairs now so I can use the van for the next months. (Avoids need for rental).
- Then after the summer look to either buy a camper shell w/o engine or bad engine (can take some time, but I won't need the camper until next summer), or if none is available by next spring do the body repairs.