What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Iowa
First, my situation. It was clear and sunny, maybe 68 F. The sun was behind me, over my left shoulder. I was driving in the right-hand lane of a main road (Two lanes in each direction), going 40-42 in a 45. A cement mixer pulls into the lane ahead of me, so I allowed room between us, maybe a little less than half a block. Because I knew the cement mixer was heading towards his mixing station about a mile farther down the road, I thought nothing of it. After a couple minutes, I see him tap his brakes, then stop (Similar to how it would look when you see a car park). As soon as I saw him slow down, I applied my brakes. As soon as I did, I noticed I wasn't slowing down, so I stomped on them, but I kept sliding until I ended up attached to his truck. There was a street light and fire hydrant to my right, and a full lane of traffic to the left, so swerving wasn't an option. I ended up sliding about 130-140 feet, based on a combination of Google maps and pictures of my skid marks I took for insurance. For the weather and my speed, I believe I had left enough room between myself and the mixer.
HOWEVER. After the mixer driver and I got out and started exchanging information, he went on a spiel about how his hydraulic system in the back of the truck had been spewing fluid, which is why he randomly stopped. His company safety officer eventually came out to the scene and inspected the vehicle, confirming that. In short, it turns out that his truck was known to have a line break, and it shouldn't have been out on the road. He was on his way back to the company lot when drivers on the interstate saw his leak and warned him, prompting him to turn off the interstate and onto the road in front of me. I'm not sure why I didn't notice the leak when I was behind him, but it may have been because the hose was low to the ground and it wasn't spraying as much due to the low speed. Regardless, the section of road I was on when I tried stopping had been coated and was slick. The driver says he turned on his flasher, but his back taillights were covered in cement, and he had no hazard lights in the rear that I could see, even after the accident.
As for damages, his company will most likely have to pay out, since it was the negligence of the company/driver that caused the accident (Or so my claims agent says). That part I understand. what I don't understand is this citation for "Assured Distance in Driving" the officer issued me (I don't know what the driver of the mixer was told or issued). From what I understood, the officer issued the citation because it was a rear-end collision, and he just wanted to cover his bases. It has no immediate fine, just a court appearance in a month.
My question is two-fold. Firstly: Am I at fault here? That is, was I driving too close, and the accident largely my fault? If so, then I'll just plead no contest for my citation. If I'm not completely at fault, then the second part of my question is: What would I do to contest this citation? Do I need an attorney (And if so, what sort? No one was injured, so the majority of automobile accident attorneys I looked up wouldn't likely take the case). What evidence would I need to have? I have some pictures on my phone, but they're not the best, and I wasn't thinking of having to debate a ticket.
Any advice or insight would be helpful. This is my first accident and I'm not sure what to do.
First, my situation. It was clear and sunny, maybe 68 F. The sun was behind me, over my left shoulder. I was driving in the right-hand lane of a main road (Two lanes in each direction), going 40-42 in a 45. A cement mixer pulls into the lane ahead of me, so I allowed room between us, maybe a little less than half a block. Because I knew the cement mixer was heading towards his mixing station about a mile farther down the road, I thought nothing of it. After a couple minutes, I see him tap his brakes, then stop (Similar to how it would look when you see a car park). As soon as I saw him slow down, I applied my brakes. As soon as I did, I noticed I wasn't slowing down, so I stomped on them, but I kept sliding until I ended up attached to his truck. There was a street light and fire hydrant to my right, and a full lane of traffic to the left, so swerving wasn't an option. I ended up sliding about 130-140 feet, based on a combination of Google maps and pictures of my skid marks I took for insurance. For the weather and my speed, I believe I had left enough room between myself and the mixer.
HOWEVER. After the mixer driver and I got out and started exchanging information, he went on a spiel about how his hydraulic system in the back of the truck had been spewing fluid, which is why he randomly stopped. His company safety officer eventually came out to the scene and inspected the vehicle, confirming that. In short, it turns out that his truck was known to have a line break, and it shouldn't have been out on the road. He was on his way back to the company lot when drivers on the interstate saw his leak and warned him, prompting him to turn off the interstate and onto the road in front of me. I'm not sure why I didn't notice the leak when I was behind him, but it may have been because the hose was low to the ground and it wasn't spraying as much due to the low speed. Regardless, the section of road I was on when I tried stopping had been coated and was slick. The driver says he turned on his flasher, but his back taillights were covered in cement, and he had no hazard lights in the rear that I could see, even after the accident.
As for damages, his company will most likely have to pay out, since it was the negligence of the company/driver that caused the accident (Or so my claims agent says). That part I understand. what I don't understand is this citation for "Assured Distance in Driving" the officer issued me (I don't know what the driver of the mixer was told or issued). From what I understood, the officer issued the citation because it was a rear-end collision, and he just wanted to cover his bases. It has no immediate fine, just a court appearance in a month.
My question is two-fold. Firstly: Am I at fault here? That is, was I driving too close, and the accident largely my fault? If so, then I'll just plead no contest for my citation. If I'm not completely at fault, then the second part of my question is: What would I do to contest this citation? Do I need an attorney (And if so, what sort? No one was injured, so the majority of automobile accident attorneys I looked up wouldn't likely take the case). What evidence would I need to have? I have some pictures on my phone, but they're not the best, and I wasn't thinking of having to debate a ticket.
Any advice or insight would be helpful. This is my first accident and I'm not sure what to do.
