Hit from behind stopped at red light causing me to hit car in front of me?

Question

I was recently hit from behind by a midsize car at a red light causing me to slam hard into the car infront of me. The majority of the damage is on the front of my car where it impacted into the rear bumper of the car infront of me. My air bags did not deploy, however, my front hood is significantly crunched in. During the accident I suffered whiplash and hit my face on the steering wheel.

Will this negatively affect my insurance(even if the other driver was at fault)?
Will I be 100% unaccountable for the damages caused to the car in front of me?

In addition, I was more than the required distance between the car in front of me; however, I was not most likely not pressing the brake that hard when I was hit due to the overwhelming damage on the front of my car.
I do not understand how the damage to the car in front of me could be any of my fault because I was litteraly projected into it. Also the police officer did make a note that the driver who hit me failed to maintain control of his car and therefore was the at fault driver. Would this relieve me of all insurance accountability?

Answer 1

I’m not sure what State you’re in but in Texas if you’re stopped at a light behind someone and you’re rear ended and that collision causes you to hit the car in front of you then you are at fault for the car you hit about 98% of the time. The reasoning behind this is that you were stopped to close behind the car in front of you. Remember back to your drivers hand book or drivers Ed. If you can’t see the rear tires on the car in front of you or at least the whole bumper than your to close! Hopefully this will be a lesson learned.

Sorry about your injuries, those were defiantly caused by the person you were hit by and they will most likely be held at fault for damage to you only. Good Luck and I hope you get to feeling better.

Updated Advice considering additional details:

Get the police report and study it carefully to see who the officer put at fault and be familiar with the details of the report. When you speak with the claims adjusters do not tell them that you may not have been pressing on the brake hard enough. Make sure you stand by your statement that you were stopped more than enough distance behind the car in front of you and don’t waiver one bit in that. If you arm yourself with enough information and stick to your guns you stand a good chance of being found with no fault. Good luck.

Answer 2

Ok, assuming there is no dispute this is how it will work- The car who hit you will pay all of your damages and the damages to the vehicle in front.

What often happens is a dispute arises a couple of ways, but essentially it could be alleged that you struck the car in front of you first, then you were hit by the car in the rear. If the evidence supports that (you having a lot of front damage doesn't help here) then that could change how this is handled by the other company and yours.

If option 1 is what happens and you don't use your insurance coverage, but report it as required by your policy as a non-fault loss, it should have no effect on your policy. If your policy has to pay for the car in front of you (let's just say the remote chance) then your rates will probably increase. "What if" scenarios are just that, and depending on how the investigation goes, anything could happen.

Answer 3

I was hit from behind this past June by a 1997 Infiniti Q45 (driven by a 16 year old girl), and she pushed me into a 2006 Honda Civic. I was driving a 2002 Chevrolet Malibu which was a total loss.

The accident was in Illinois and I have State Farm and the girl who hit me (well it was her dad's car and insurance), also had State Farm and the woman I hit had some no name insurance.

The local law enforcement wrote up a three page accident report, I was not cited or ticketed, but it is up to the police dept who wrote the report to place blame and the insurance companies to to decide everything else.

I had to pay my deductible intially and was told I would get it back if they could place blame on the girl who hit me. It took 4 months, but I got the deductible back and my insurance did not go up, in fact after the my car was considered a loss and in the month it took for me to get my settlement and then buy a new car, I didn't have to pay my insurance until I replaced my car.

You shouldn't be responsible for anything but make sure you have a comprehensive police report and good insurance, my neighbor was in a similiar accident (and he got hurt and missed work), and he's still trying to settle his case but he had no name insurance.

Good luck.

Answer 4

The car that hit you will be responsible for damage to your vehicle. both the primary damage caused by him hitting you, and any secondary damage that occurred as a result of that, which would include the damage to the front. Any damage to the car you were pushed into, will be yours. If in turn that car hits another, and damages it, it will be his to pay for, and on until it stops. That seems to be the way it works in all the states I'm familiar with anyway. If you are in a no fault area, it might be different.

To get a definitive answer, ask your agent.

Answer 5

It will go on your insurance in most states. Not as an 'at fault' acccident but it still counts against you (in MOST states) because of involvement regardless of who's fault. And NO it will not be your fault (99% sure). The damage to your vehicle as well as the vehicle in front of you will fall on the person who hit you as he caused you to be propelled into the car in front of you. The fact that you were sitting still at the time of the accident, and not even moving, totally alleviates any hint of chance that he has of shifting blame. NOW - the catch 22... If he does not have insurance, you will have to file the accident on your insurance, although again the wreck wasn't your fault, pay your deductible and your insurance will go after him (in legal terms suing) for damages occurred. If his insurance is legitimate then they will fix your car and you will not have to pay your deductible as his insurance company handles everything. So yes, in a good bit of states, you may still see a slight increase on your insurance. It just depends... on state.. laws... points system... whether or not he has ins... etc. Also remember that whether or not it affects your insurance and whether or not it shows up on your driving record are not necessarily one in the same question.

Answer 6

Check the police report it should list who was at fault. It this incident happened as you said, then the police should have counted both collisions as one incident. Airbags work on a momentum switch, that is your car has to de-accelerate at a specific speed in a certain amount of time, i.e. 100 feet per second per second, depending on the manufacturer of the vehicle. As far as your insurance, call and talk with them. If they determine that you are not at fault, they probably Will not raise your rates. However, if they determine you were at fault or partially at fault, your rates may then increase. Same goes for being responsible for the third car.

Answer 7

They can prove if you hit the car in front - or if you were pushed into the car in front of you. As long as they show you were pushed into it, the person who hit you will be responsible for damages.

It won't affect your insurance - as the accident was not your fault.

Answer 8

You are partly to blame as you where to close to the car in front and as you where stopped at lights you should of had your parking brake on which is there to stop that kind of incident happening

Answer 9

Who got a citation? Who does it say is at fault?
It sounds like you would be unaccountable from what you told us.

Additional Comments:
From what you told us, you should have NO accountability for this.
I would bet money on it.

Answer 10

You should not be at falt becuase the car hit you, thats what i think but you have to call your insurince company and take it up with them...