What was supposed to be a pleasant day of fishing turned into thousands of dollars of mess when one man’s dog accidentally sent his RV straight into a lake in Texas.
Professional fisher Eric Jackson, 54, had gotten out of his $180,000 RV to get his boat into the water on Monday when it suddenly felt like the entire world was moving.
Bodi, Jackson’s two-year-old Dalmatian, had jumped onto the driver’s seat to watch him out of the window.
But he accidentally stood on the keypad for the transmission, knocking the 38-foot vehicle into reverse – and right into the water.
‘I thought I was passing out, the boat started coming at me,’ Jackson told DailyMail.com.
Professional fisher Eric Jackson, 54, had gotten out of his $60,000 RV to get his boat into the water when his dog suddenly put it in reverse
Jackson jumped off his trailer and sprinted to the RV, opening the door and running to the front so he could put his foot on the brake
Bodi (pictured), Jackson’s two-year-old Dalmatian, had jumped onto the driver’s seat to watch him out of the window. But he accidentally stood on the keypad for the transmission, knocking the 38-foot vehicle into reverse – and right into the water
‘I looked back and I saw the RV was flying into the water and about to run me over.’
‘I jumped off the trailer, got to the side of the RV, sprinted up as fast as I could through the water, opened the door, jumped into the RV, sprinted to the front, and put my foot on the brake.’
By that point the back wheels of the RV were already floating, and the interior was filled with water.
Meanwhile, Bodi had found a new hiding spot under the front passenger seat.
‘Bodi is one of those dogs who, you’ll walk into the house and he’ll look down and sulk around and you know he did something,’ Jackson said.
By the time Jackson got his foot on the brake the back wheels of the RV were already floating, and the interior was filled with water
‘He knew that whatever he did wasn’t good.’
A group of people captured the whole incident on video, and later helped Jackson get the RV out of the water.
Only 10 minutes had passed by the time the RV was back on dry land, but the damage was done.
‘The transmission is full of water, the electric system is fried,’ Jackson said. ‘It doesn’t run, it’s not going anywhere.’
A group of people captured the whole incident on video, and later helped Jackson get the RV out of the water
Meanwhile, Bodi had found a new hiding spot under the front passenger seat – knowing he had done something wrong
Jackson took video of the damage to the RV as he walked in water that was ankle deep
But there wasn’t time for Jackson to stress. He was supposed to be practicing for the Fishing League Worldwide tour, which took place this weekend.
‘It’s a $5,000 entry-fee big deal tournament,’ he explained. ‘There was nothing I could do at that moment, the boat was already out in the water. So I jumped on my boat and fished for the rest of the day.’
Jackson and his family are now back in Tennessee, forced to leave their second home behind while they wait to hear whether it will survive.
‘Tomorrow we’ll find out whether we need to get it fixed or totaled, but my guess is they’re gonna total it,’ Jackson said.
Thankfully plenty of people were on hand to help Jackson get his RV out of the water
The group didn’t blink about getting in the water to help get the RV back on dry land
Jackson and his family are now back in Tennessee, forced to leave their second home behind while they wait to hear whether it will survive
Jackson and Bondi pose here with a few of the men who helped him get his RV out of the water
Jackson, who is on the US kayaking team and also a professional bass fisherman, spent nearly 10 years living in an RV full-time, and still spends six months out of every year calling one home. But he has never had anything like this happen.
‘We’ve nearly fallen off the side of a mountain and driven through Colorado’s icy roads,’ Jackson said. ‘But this is the first time putting one in the water.’
If this RV doesn’t survive, Jackson said there is no question he will replace it.
‘We’ve got a nice log house in Tennesee with 20 acres and an RV, and if someone made me choose between the two I’d go with the RV every time,’ he said.
Jackson, who is on the US kayaking team and also a professional bass fisherman, spent nearly 10 years living on an RV full-time, and still spends six months out of every year calling it home. But he has never had anything like this happen
Jackson has a number of competitions coming up and is already preparing to replace the RV
‘It’s a house on wheels, wherever you are you’re home. So another RV is in our immediate future.’
And Jackson and his family are already thinking up ways to make sure Bodi doesn’t send their next RV into the water again.
‘Somebody actually sent us a photo of a similar RV, and they built a cover on the top of the keypad,’ Jackson said.
‘Or, as my wife would say, you could just turn the engine off. Certainly now we know for next time.’
And Jackson and his family are already thinking up ways to make sure Bodi doesn’t send the next RV into the water again