Rear-End Collision Liability: Failure to Maintain Safe Following Distance

The case concerned a claim for damages arising from a collision between two vehicles on a public road where one driver failed to maintain a safe following distance, causing a rear-end collision that resulted in physical injury to the occupant of the preceding vehicle. The trial court found the following driver solely liable, relying on the presumption of fault under traffic regulations regarding maintaining safe distances. The higher court upheld this finding, reasoning that the driver following too closely failed to prove that the collision was caused by an external, irresistible, and unforeseeable event, or solely by the fault of the victim, thereby confirming the established presumption of negligence based on violating the obligation to keep a safe distance.