Question

When I was in cheder in 4th grade, the rebbe, of blessed memory, taught us the chapter HaKones. And he told us that if Reuven borrows a car from Shimon and gets into an accident, and he has the option of doing something with the brakes—destroying the car and saving himself, or saving the car and as a result being killed—then he must be killed, and the main thing is to protect his fellow's property as he received it. That seemed puzzling to me even then. Over the years I asked about it, and people told me it was strange and couldn't be true. Once I think I saw something written in this connection. But now I haven't really found it. Maybe I'm not familiar with the details of the case, and we're talking about a paid guardian or an unpaid guardian or something along those lines. But still—is there such a thing? If so, I would appreciate an explanation and a source. Thanks in advance.