Auto Insurance Claims: 3-car collision, last car, mechanic friend, minor damages

Question
Hello Richard,

I was involved in a three-car-collision on the highway of San Francisco. I will try to present my case in a fairly compact manner.

Pre-Collision
1. I was the third and the last car involved in the collision in the middle lane
2. I was in the process of switching over to the right lane.
3. I looked over to the right (abiding by law) to see if there was any oncoming traffic to the right and looked back to the front, only to notice that I was significantly closer to the car in front of me.
4. Not having enough time to compensate for the small gap between my car and the car in the front, I hit the second car which from my perspective had not come to a full stop.

After-Collision
1. I went out of my car (luckily without bodily injury) and approached the driver of the second car. I asked him what had happened and he stated that he had "no idea." He also apologized and admitted his fault.
2. Car #1 had dents in the rear bumper.
  Car #2 (a Van) had minor damages both in the front and rear. In the rear, only had scratches).
  Car #3 (me): severe damage to the front, had to be towed

So basically, I guess my question is, who is at fault and is there any chance that I would be compensated for the damages (a mechanic friend of mine quoted me $3000)?'

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your work!

Answer
Hi Joe,

Unfortunately, you will be considered to be at fault. It is your responsibility to always be in control of your vehicle and to know what is going on in front of you. Based on your statement, "you looked over to the right and when you looked back the car in front of you had slowed". It does not matter why the car in front of you slowed. If you hit him in the rear, you are considered to be at fault. Also based on your statement the car in front of you was pushed into the car in front of him. Your insurance company will pay for the damage to both of the other cars and will pay for the damage to your car less your deductible.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh