Who is at fault in a multiple car pileup on Interstate 20?

April 7, 2008 - A friend recently came to me with some interesting questions which he allowed me to share. He was on I-20 traveling the speed limit when (vehicle #1) in front of him came to a sudden stop. He believes that (vehicle #1) hit the car in front of him. My friend rear ended (vehicle #1) causing damage. Then my friend was rear-ended by another vehicle (vehicle #2). "Which driver is at fault?" he asked. Here was my answer:
I explained to my friend that he was probably at fault for the damage done for hitting (vehicle #1) in front of him. The law requires him to be at a safe enough distance to stop before hitting the car in front of him. By not being in control to stop his vehicle, my friend is at fault for causing damage to (vehicle #1).
The damage done to the backside of his vehicle was caused by (vehicle #2), who did not stop in time so the driver of (vehicle #2) must pay for the damage to the back of my friend’s vehicle.
However, if my friend had been pushed into (vehicle #1) then he would not have been at fault for damage to (vehicle #1), but (vehicle #2) which pushed him into (vehicle #1) would have been at fault and that driver would have been required to pay for the damage.
The most important question therefore is, "Did my friend hit the car in front of him because he could not stop in time or because he was hit from behind and then pushed into the car in front of him?" Sometimes these questions can be difficult to answer in a multi-car pile-up. But the moral of the story is to stay a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you on the highway!