If a car rear ends another car, and that accident slides into another vehicle in front of them, but none of the cars had insurance who is at fault?
Question Details: My friend slid into a car, rear ending it, and made it hit a third vehicle in front of both them. The car in front of the accident was the only vehicle covered by insurance. Being that my friend who caused the accident wasn't insured, and the car he hit wasn't either, can the driver of the middle car sue him for damages? I understand that the third car (the one at the head of the accident they both slid into) was legal and most likely would be able to sue, but since the middle car was not insured it technically shouldn't have been on the road legally. Please help, thanks!
Your friend appears to be the one at fault here. The middle cars lack of insurance won't preclude him suing your friend. It migth end up as a factor in an ultimate settlement, however. Yoru friend needs to get a lawyer both for the ticket that he was likely issued and to help him with the inevitable civil claims that will be filed against him. If the insurance company for the third car fixes their car, that insurance company will come after your friend to recover what they paid out.
If your friend was negligent, which is almost always in tail-end hits, then both drivers can sue him. If the "middle" driver, the one whose car your friend hit directly, had come to a complete stop, your friend is probably the only one liable here.
I doubt that the courts would allow your friend to use the other driver's lack of insurance (or registration, quite possibly), as a defense against a claim for property damage (the vehicle repair cost).
Some states penalize uninsured drivers, by refusing to allow them to sue for "non-economic" losses in auto accidents; this means pain and suffering damages are out.
