I rear-ended someone.

For context, I’m a nineteen year old university student that works two separate jobs. I’m a licensed driver with a registered and insured car. I don’t have a criminal record of any kind, and had not been so much as pulled over prior to the accident. I would consider myself a good driver. I passed my driver’s test on the first try, and my worst mistake thus far had been hitting a broken curb in the sketchy part of town.

A few days ago, my friend and I were on our way to the mall; I was driving, and she was in the passengers seat. This wasn’t out of the ordinary, as I drive on the highway almost every day. This particular highway is one of the most dangerous in the U.S., but I live in a big city, so I’ve gotten used to it.

We were wearing our seatbelts. Our phones weren’t out (hers was in her purse and mine was on the charging dock). The radio was on, but it was set to a very low volume. We weren’t particularly deep in conversation. We both had our eyes on the road. I wasn’t speeding; 65mph in a 70mph zone in the furthest right lane with about two sedan-sized car distances between myself and the car in front of me. We weren’t planning on exiting for at least five to six miles, so we were literally just scooting along in a straight line.

Without warning, the car in front of us came to a complete stop. We both yelled “whoa!” and I hit both of my brakes (regenerative and regular), but it was too late; the car in front of us had been rear-ended. The accident happened so fast that my collision detection sensors didn’t react. If my car gets too close to another, the windshield will light up red with a few beeps and possibly automatically break- I have it set to the furthest radius for safety, but in this case, it all happened too quickly. The impact wasn’t hard, and the airbags didn’t go off in either car involved. There were zero injuries. My friend I agreed that we had no bruises, scratches, or pain. As far as I know, the other driver did not report any injuries either. Neither car was totaled or needed towing. Personally, my car is smushed but drivable.

I told the officer that responded to the accident that we were lawfully driving to our destination when the other driver (a seventy year old woman from another part of the state; she was looking at the GPS on her phone) braked so aggressively that even with a quick reaction time on my part, the accident could not be prevented. He agreed that I wasn’t being aggressive or reckless, but I’m still at fault because my car was the one to hit the other.

How screwed am I?
Other than my deductible, ticket, and traffic class, what else will I owe? Can the other driver legally claim injuries after saying she was fine at the scene? Will any company (insurance or otherwise) rent me a car while mine is in the shop? I need to be able to get to work and school. Thanks in advance.