Cheri -
I'm so sorry to hear this. Unfortunately, it seems that that was the standard result with the square-wheel-well TMs. The tread gets jammed up in the square corners of the wheel well and punches up through into the trailer as the rotating wheel tries to force more tread into the wad.
My guess (or my personal hope!) is that a round wheel well would have ejected the wad, and the mud flap would have deflected the flying pieces, before the plumbing or the underside of the trailer got bashed. But of course that is a hope, not a guarantee based on experience.
As for repair of the underside damage, that seems reasonably straightforward, if annoying. Trim the edges of the hole to get rid of ragged edges. Prepare a patch of aluminum flashing cut to size, hold it in place by hand, and driil it to accept rivets every couple inches along the perimeter. Squirt some expandable foam into the gap, slap the patch into place, and rivet it in place while the foam expands.
Bill
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