[Liam]

Its difficult to say “never” about many things.

After see pictures of Prevost coaches with the outside skin stripped off (unit being scrapped out) and seeing raw shells at the RV and Prevost Expos where you can easily see the structure of the coach, its very clear to me that Prevost chassis is a “cage”, much like a NASCAR stock car. Somewhere I’ve seen a Prevost coach rolled down an incline and the coach is intact.

I don’t know how other large Class A diesel pushers are built, but I’ve seen the bare chassis at the RV show in Florida. Appears everything is built above the frame.

I’ve attached pictures below from an accident in North Carolina that occurred around April 9, 2021. Its my understanding the two occupants were killed and the RV was NOT a Prevost. It appears from the pictures that most everything from the frame up is gone.

[Archived]

I doubt if over the millions of accumulated miles Prevost conversions have been driven that there was never a fatality. But I have seen accidents of conventional RVs such as Dick shows above and do know it is common for the upper portion to separate from the chassis which does leave the occupants in an unprotected situation.

A Prevost chassis will remain intact as has been seen in numerous news reports of accidents relating to seated coaches and entertainer coaches but there is not a lot of protection for the driver or front passenger in a head on collision or a collision with something solid like a bridge abutment.

[Harry]

Thank you. Those pictures of the RV crash tell it all, nothing is built like a Prevost

thanks Dr Gary

[Chad]

There was an entertainer coach that rolled down the embankment and all occupants survived. Unfortunately the driver died as the bus impacted a solid surface. I can’t recall the band that the crew was with.

Surprised some of the Prevost members hasn’t posted here.

---

1984 96" with 8V92TA

(remodeled Liberty Coach)

Greenwood, MO

[Bernie]

We were familiar this 2002 Marathon Coach 0740XLV1 and its accident We were the owners from 2002-04

August 13, 2008. I-15 west of Mesquite NV. This was a 2002 Marathon Coach XLII single slide. Tires on bus at the time had 66,000 dated 2001, were original Left front tire blew at speed over 80 mph. Air temps over 100 degrees, wear pattern showed under inflated, At final resting position on its side. One fatality at scene. Driver/owner survived. Neither using seatbelt

[Archived]

[Steve]

I remember when this happened, because my daughter had marched in drum and bugle corps for several years, and I was a volunteer for that drum corps. This accident happened mid-season (4th of July); when my daughter attended the DCI Final competition in August, the rumor mills were swirling and they were wrong. The allegation was that the steer tire had blown, but I looked at camera footage and still photos and both steers were intact. (and P.S. they weren’t made by the company I work for. The tires were not the root cause).

The accident was not investigated by NHTSA and when I was at a bus seminar later in 2018, I asked them why not. The NHTSA official taught me something I didn’t know- they only investigate “high profile” or “multiple fatality” accidents; since there was only one person involved (the driver), there was no NHTSA investigation… unknownst to NHTSA, the young adults involved in drum corps all pointed at the tires. Facebook Fire was crazy within this activity.

My opinion, based on what I know- drum corps are normally a 4 to 5 coach bus caravan, chartered out to the organization with dedicated drivers. The drivers get to know the tour members as family- the majority of the passengers are 15 – 22 year olds, so they are young, enthusiastic and fun athletes. Normally, the buses travel at night, arrive at a high school in the early morning- between 4 am and 6 am. The members sack out on the gym floor and sleep for 4 to 5 hours. The members don’t like the buses to be too far away, because they practically live out of their seat, so the bus drivers will bring an air mattress/ sleeping bag and sometimes, they sleep on site, in a quiet classroom. The members wake up between 7 – 9 am, eat breakfast, practice at the football field for the day and then they “Eat, Pack, and Load”. They leave the high school between 4 and 5 pm and travel to the drum corps competition. The competitions normally run from 6 pm to about 10 pm. Then, the members pack onto the bus, where they laugh/sing songs/but eventually sleep as they trust the bus driver to get them to the next high school- anywhere from 3 to 6 hours away.

Imagine being the bus drivers- I said earlier that “sometimes” they sleep in the classrooms, but sometimes, they will take one bus to a nearby hotel… BUT, that adds cost to the bus contract (hotel rooms), so they may agree to sleep in the high school classrooms… not necessarily restful sleep, but the drivers become “family” and get nicknames like, “Momma Donna”, and they don’t mind doing it. Many bus drivers will ask for this assignment every year, because they get to know the young adults, and they love the marching, the competitions, and the atmosphere.

When this accident happened, the drum corps had a long drive ahea- they were travelling from a California competition to one in Mesa Arizona, and it was a long drive. The drum corps decided to allow the members buses to travel ahead, and the volunteer/staff bus stayed behind to get the competition scores at the final presentation.

This bus accident happened when the bus was travelling alone, at about 4 am. The bus veered off the highway, up a gigantic mesa, and landed on its side (on the other side of the highway). As it was an entertainer bus, there were bunks in it, and all of the passengers were asleep.

The bus driver was not wearing her seat belt, went through the windshield, and died immediately.

There was a parent/volunteer on board, who told her story on Facebook, about waking up to the smell of diesel, being confused/disoriented, and not knowing how to get out. Through the miracles of … higher powers, truck drivers, Prevost safety, luck? … the truck drivers on the highway became first responders. They opened the roof hatches, and used their sleeper bunk mattresses to cushion the fall as the passengers escaped through the hatches.

NHTSA never investigated, but I believe that the driver fell asleep, and sadly, she is not alive to confirm my theory nor to dispute it. And the protocols followed by many drum corps have never been reviewed or challenged by NHTSA for safety. Drivers should be mandated to sleep in hotels and follow Hours of Service guidelines. They should have secondary drivers assigned to these assignments, or shorten the night travel. Buses that travel alone… there should be a designated person that makes sure the driver stays awake. Sadly, it’s an overlooked activity that should be scrutinized. It wasn’t the bus, or the tires’ fault.

https://www.mystateline.com/news/fatal-bus-accident-involving-rockfords-phantom-regiment-staff-volunteers/757074003/

[Art]

Well known Gospel singer/song writer Dottie Rambo was killed when her Prevost tour bus ran off the interstate in a storm/tornado. I believe she was in a bunk asleep.

Are Prevosts inherently safer than a regular motorhome? I believe so, but not perfectly safe. Driving is a risk every time we get in a any vehicle.

Davy