Driver Liability for Unsecured Load Causing Accident

A driver, having failed to secure a load of metal bars on their vehicle, caused one bar to fall onto the roadway, where it was subsequently struck by a following motorist, resulting in damage to the second vehicle. The court of cassation quashed the lower court's decision that found the second motorist partially at fault, reasoning that the initial driver's failure to properly secure the load constituted a breach of the obligation to maintain the integrity of the vehicle and its contents, which was the direct and sole cause of the accident, thereby absolving the subsequent driver of any liability.