What you just experienced was the chain reaction that builds when people tailgate and must apply their brakes. It is called a traffic wave. The main cure to its occurrence is to leave ample car lengths between yourself and the car in front of you. Recently what could have been a traffic wave turned into a chain reaction traffic accident at the intersection of intersection of River and Revere in Haverhill.
The accident began when a Chevrolet box truck was struck from behind by a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. The pickup truck was then struck from behind by a car. These rear-end collisions can be prevented if there is sufficient distance between vehicles.
The chain-reaction accident caused injuries that were described as non life-threatening to two people. It was not reported which vehicle the two people were in when they were injured, however, the most severely damaged vehicle was the car which was the third vehicle to crash.
It appears as though the pickup truck in the middle and the car in the back may both be at fault, as is typical with rear end collisions. When an injury occurs due to the negligence or error of another party, the injured person can seek to collect compensation for their injury and other damages.
Source: Eagle-Tribune, "Police: No serious injuries in River Street accident," Mike LaBella, Aug. 17, 2012
At our Boston law firm, we represent individuals, similar to those in this chain-reaction rear-end collision, who suffer personal injuries due to someone else's negligence or error.