So I've always wondered about this situation:
Drove across the country (literally) to go to a friends wedding in Florida, so everyone involved in this accident was from out of state.
The next day we're trying to figure out how to get everyone to Bachelor party. The best man is driving, and we need one more care. Having just driven for the last 2 days straight, I had no desire to drive - but the only other person who was willing to drive was the groom, and I wasn't going to let him drive to his own Bachelor party.
So, the best man is driving kindof erratically and speeding through the streets on the way to freeway. I'm trying to keep up, but its hard when he's doubling the speed limit.
Due to lights, as we approach the freeway ramp I'm close behind them. He hits the gas and takes off up the ramp. It's a weird sort of ramp where traffic comes in from both sides - as we approach where the two lanes merge (but are not yet merged with the freeway), I do a head check.
He apparently had just done a head check, saw a car on the main freeway (not anywhere near us), panicked and slammed on his breaks. My one passenger grabs my arm as I'm finishing my head check and I slam on my breaks.
It was just after one of those famous Florida afternoon rains, and my though my car had anti-lock breaks (Subaru Legacy), it was about 8 years old and I'd just added several thousand miles onto those break pads. The best man's vehicle was brand new (under 5,000 miles), was a full sized SUV, and the car was full of people.
His vehicle stopped on a dime. My car, slow motion like, slowly stacked up under his bumper. My car had come to a complete stop, but the SUV coasted lazily over to the side of the road where it rested, and all I could think of was that I'd killed the groom and most of the guys in the wedding party.
I somehow got my car started again, and pulled over to the side.
The bestman gets out and says, loudly, within ear shot of everybody there "That was my fault. That was totally my fault, I am so very sorry."
My question is, would his admission of guilt transfer guilt? I'm fairly certain I was at fault because I rear ended him, no matter the circumstances - but if he was willing to take the blame, could I have gotten a car out of the deal on his dime?
For my part, I kept my temper, and asked him to "Please be quiet." after I made sure everyone was okay. My car was completely totalled, and his car had 200 dollars of damage to bumper.