Is an intervening cause foreseeable?

Is an intervening cause foreseeable?

An intervening cause is any event in an accident that occurred after the actions of the defendant (i.e. the person being sued) and contributed to the injury of the plaintiff. If the event and its results couldn’t have been foreseen, then it is considered a superseding cause, which would render the defendant non-liable.

What is a intervening cause in law?

An event that occurs after a party’s improper or dangerous action and before the damage that could otherwise have been caused by the dangerous act, thereby breaking the chain of causation between the original act and the harm to the injured person, is known as an “intervening cause.” The presence of an intervening …

What are the two types of intervening acts?

There are two types of intervening causes:

  • Dependant intervening causes are set in motion by the defendant and will usually not relieve the defendant of liability unless it is an extraordinary response.
  • Independent intervening causes are events that arise totally independent of any action by the defendant.

What is foreseeability tort?

What this means is that a reasonable person has to be able to predict or expect any harmfulness of their actions. Whether an action was considered reasonably foreseeable was discussed at length in Bolton v Stone [1951] AC 850, in these circumstances the Claimant was hit by a cricket ball outside of her home.

What is the effect of an intervening cause?

In tort law, an intervening cause is an event that occurs after a tortfeasor’s initial act of negligence and causes injury/harm to a victim. An intervening cause will generally absolve the tortfeasor of liability for the victim’s injury only if the event is deemed a superseding cause.

What makes an intervening cause a superseding cause?

An intervening cause is any event that occurs after the defendant’s actions and caused harm to the plaintiff. If the intervening cause and its results could not have been foreseen, it is considered to be a superseding cause. In this case, the defendant is not held liable for the accident.

What does foreseeable harm mean?

Serious and foreseeable harm also describes a concept used in negligence (tort) law to limit the liability of a party to those acts carrying a risk of foreseeable harm, meaning a reasonable person would be able to predict or expect the ultimately harmful result of their actions.

What is foreseeable damage?

(a) A person is not negligent by reason only of failing to take precautions against a foreseeable risk of harm (that is, a risk of harm of which the person knew or ought to have known).

What is the key difference between an intervening cause and a superseding cause?

The key difference between an intervening cause and a superseding cause is foreseeability. An intervening act will be called a superseding cause (or act) that relieves the original defendant of liability when the intervening act was or should have been reasonably foreseeable to the original defendant.

Are all intervening causes superseding?

What are foreseeable circumstances?

1 : being such as may be reasonably anticipated foreseeable problems foreseeable consequences. 2 : lying within the range for which forecasts are possible in the foreseeable future.

Are intentional torts foreseeable?

Unforeseeable Manner of Harm. A person who causes injury to another is not liable for a superseding cause when the superseding cause itself was not foreseeable. criminal acts of third persons (i.e., burglary), and. intentional torts of third persons (i.e., assault, battery, false imprisonment).

What is the difference between an intervening cause and a superseding cause?

The key difference between an intervening cause and a superseding cause is foreseeability. An intervening act will be called a superseding cause (or act) that relieves the original defendant of liability when the intervening act was or should have been reasonably foreseeable to the original defendant. Let’s look at an example of this.

What is an intervening cause in a personal injury case?

The presence of an intervening cause can mean that the person who started the chain of events may no longer be considered responsible for damages to the injured person since the original action is no longer the proximate cause. For example, in the Ohio state case State v.

What is foreseeability in a personal injury case?

Foreseeability is a personal injury law concept that is often used to determine proximate cause after an accident. The foreseeability test basically asks whether the person causing the injury should have reasonably foreseen the general consequences that would result because of his or her conduct. Foreseeability and Proximate Cause

What is an unforeseeable type of harm?

Unforeseeable Type of Harm. A person who causes injury to another is not liable if the type of harm does not foreseeably flow from the negligent act. For example, if Damon drops a glass bottle on the floor and does not clean it up, Damon would be liable for the injuries caused to anyone who cut themselves on the glass.

author

Back to Top