Earlier today I had what should have been a minor accident where I rear ended a car which proceeded to hit the car in front of it but there was nothing I could do. Let me elaborate. I was on my way home, taking the route I always do which has short tunnel which makes a near 90 degree turn. You can't see whats on the other side until you actually exit the tunnel. This is on a highway. It has always been frighting but never an issue in 12+ (driving myself for six years) years as just before it there is two lanes that open into three meaning traffic never is an issue. On this particular day as I drove home I entered the tunnel and upon exiting I find a car COMPLETELY stopped a very literal three feet in front of me. I slammed on the brakes but it had been drizzling, my speed didn't change at all and I hydroplaned into the car in front of me, which then hit the car in front of it.

Couple of things that I immediately noticed. Only the left lane of the tunnel had backed up traffic and there was a bad accident on the other side of the road. Clearly someone or some people had been rubbernecking and had brought traffic to a stop. That and the police had already arrived at the scene and my accident was witnessed by no less than 5 police officers. The first thing that I heard when I rolled down my window was an old police officer berating me saying "That's what you get for rubbernecking". I bit my tongue and said nothing but I was furious. I had come out of the tunnel completely blind, no choice in the matter. The rear bumper of my car was still in the tunnel, as in, I had less than the length of my car to see the stopped car and to stop myself. It should have been clear that coming out of the tunnel I wasn't "rubbernecking". What was I looking at? The brick wall? Secondly, I noticed that my airbags had not gone off, I hadn't been going fast enough to trigger them. I have no idea how fast I was going in the tunnel but believe me it was SLOW. I am a very conservative driver by anyone's standards, probably to the point of lunacy for most, and I was going slower than usual because of the rain. At most I'd estimate that I was going 20 mph, let me remind you this is a highway, with a 60 mph speed limit. The fact that my airbags didn't deploy should indicate how slow I was going.

So TLDR version, I ran into a stopped car I had no possible way of seeing, 3 feet total to stop, hydroplaned into it, going 20 mph on a 60 mph highway and this was witnessed by 5 policemen who immediately accused me of rubbernecking, despite my inability to actually SEE the accident I was supposedly looking at.

So now the follow up. The car in front of my suffered a cracked bumper, the car in front of it had a half inch paint chip, no dent. MY car however was totaled. It is truly bizarre. It looks like it suffered a completely different, worse accident. The entire frame of the car has been shifted back, the engine has been compressed about 3 or 4 inches in and the radiator was bent clean in half. The gentleman at the auto repair shop was completely at a lost at how it sustained so much damage from what should have been a ding. The only thing he could tell me was that it was most likely due to the age and mileage of the car (2008 prius with 232,000 miles) and that compounded metal fatigue accumulated over the years meant it didn't take much to destroy my car.

Now for the worst news. I'm still on my parents insurance. We have coverage for anyone hit, but not for ourselves. That being said, we've already called them and they got back to us saying I was 100% liable for all three accidents due to the fact that I was the one who ran into the car I had no way of seeing, and because I am under the age of 25 our insurance rates are going to "Skyrocket" (their words, not mine. Real nice for folks who are supposedly on our side. Note: That was sarcasm). We asked that if we didn't use insurance to cover the bills and paid out of pocket would our rate still be effected and the answer was that since we had already called in that our rates would go up regardless, just for reporting it. All for an accident that I couldn't have avoided or foreseen.

So that's my tale of woe, and I'm just sitting here scratching my head. I'm usually the first guy to blame myself, but this is a first. I've run over the accident again and again in my head but there was NOTHING I could have done. I was driving super defensively, there was no lapse in attention and I literally couldn't see the stopped car until I was three feet away. So here I am WANTING to blame myself but unable to because there was nothing I could have done. It wasn't the car in front of me to blame either, nor the guy in front of them. The person at fault was probably the guy (or guys) ten cars up blocking traffic to look at the accident on the other side of the road. That and the person who designed a highway with a 90 degree tunnel you can't see out of. So despite my inability to have actually done anything that would have prevented this, I am liable for three accidents. I have no idea whats going to happen but it probably won't be good. I guess what I'm looking for is a technical term for "Shit happens and sometimes no one is to blame". Thoughts?

Additional information that I just didn't work in elsewhere.

1. There were no police statements taken from me or any of the other drivers. I found this weird.

2. No one was injured except for a badly banged knee on my person due to my foot being firmly on the brake at the time. (I realize that they have 30 days to report an injury but TRUST ME. They were NOT injured. I just hope they don't try and fake an injury to squeeze money out of me later as that just opens up another can of worms.)

3. I am a registered driver on the car, however it is technically my mother's car. I made sure to mention this to the police officer who took my drivers license.

4. My exact age is 23. I have had a permit since the day of my 16th birthday and a license since a month after my 18th birthday.

5. I have never been in an accident before, hell I've never gotten a TICKET before. The one time I was pulled over was when I was going 65 mph in a 60 mph zone, but still was not matching the flow of traffic (They were all going 70 - 80 mph. That's NY for you.) I figured I was getting a speeding ticket or something but instead I was given a warning that I was going too slow and blocking traffic. Yes, you read that right. I was pulled over for going TOO SLOW when I was going 65 mph in a 60 mph zone. Kinda figures my first accident would be something I couldn't have avoided and I'm liable for three cars. As the saying goes, "When life gives you lemons..."

Edit: Well I can see my typing this out was a complete waste of time. Considering this reddit forum provides actual advice to fugitives, drug possession and all manner of ne're-do-wells I thought someone would have been able to give me some term or advice for an accident I couldn't have prevented. Instead I see a lot of people claiming it was my fault. I see I was mistaken. I assure you that any of you in position would have crashed as well. Anyone would have. A magic brick wall might as well have popped up three feet in front of my car. I would have been able to predict and avoid that just as well as what happened today. I wish all of you luck and hope that none of you are put in the same unavoidable position I find myself in today.

Edit (2): (Already in the comments but its turned into a graveyard down there so its here for redundancy.) Well I appear to have offended several people. Not sure what I ever did to you but I understand. Everyone has a bad day. I'm in the middle of one myself. To clarify, I know LEGALLY I'm at fault.This is why I came to the LEGAL ADVICE reddit. I have had hours of discussion today just how at fault I am with my insurance company. There is no need to tell the metaphorical blind man he can't see, he knows it. What he does need is someone to lead him the way. Therefore is there anyone who can provide solid advice to help make a bad situation a little better?

Edit (3): (The exciting trilogy) "YourLovelyMan" is now the MVP of this comment section. Thanks.