Auto accident involved 3 cars, mine is one of them. I was driving my 92 Camry on the 4th lane of 6-lane?

Question

beltway counting from the left. One person driving an Altima on the second lane (from the left) was going too fast while cars in front of him coming to a slow or stop traffic. He was hitting the brake hard and the car skidded, the tires were smoking. He came on to the 3rd lane perpendicular with the traffic flow and hit another car at the driver's rear side wheel. Since his car was still at high speed, for some reason his car went on to the 5th lane a little bit and spun around 180 degrees. This time the front of his car is facing the jersey wall on the left. At the same time, my car was still moving but slowing down while I was travelling about 60mph when I saw his car was doing the dance. My car front collided with his car at the left of the front bumper. Our cars were almost perpendicular to each other. After our cars collided, his car still went forward a little bit and ended right in the middle of my travel lane. Who is at fault? Why do I get a ticket for follow too closely?

Answer 1

Was this in Virginia by any chance?  The state police there give out "following too closely" tickets way too frequently, just as a source of revenue.  Go to court and fight the ticket...tell the judge that this was completely not your fault and the only reason you hit the other car's bumper was that the other driver lost control.  

In most counties the judge will give you a break on tickets like this if you have a good driving record.

Answer 2

because if you check you drivers manual no matter what you must be in control of your own vehicle all the time no matter what any other driver is doing.

Answer 3

Its the law and control will the the key to the whole issue.

Answer 4

I don't think it is his fault because he was just there at the wrong place at the wrong time.  I agreed he should be in control of his car at all time but there are situation that you have no control of if someone skid on your way out of nowhere.  As he said, the car was perpendicular to the road.  For example, Just like if you drive normally and in control as "the manual" said and someone ran red light at highspeed causing you to hit him, do you think he is at fault too instead of the red light runner?  This is something the good driver cannot avoid...just like the guy up there.