What is an example of proximate cause?

Asked by: Alycia Zboncak  |  Last update: November 12, 2022
Score: 4.6/5 (75 votes)

When a speeding driver fails to stop at a stop sign, another driver must swerve to miss them. The second driver fails to notice a pedestrian in the crosswalk. The speeding driver is a proximate cause of the injury to the pedestrian because the secondary crash was a foreseeable consequence of the speeding driver.

How do you explain proximate cause?

The actions of the person (or entity) who owes you a duty must be sufficiently related to your injuries such that the law considers the person to have caused your injuries in a legal sense. If someone's actions are a remote cause of your injury, they are not a proximate cause.

What is proximate cause in simple terms?

An act from which an injury results as a natural, direct, uninterrupted consequence and without which the injury would not have occurred. Proximate cause is the primary cause of an injury.

What is an example of proximate cause in biology?

Example: a female animal chooses to mate with a particular male during a mate choice trial. A possible proximate explanation states that one male produced a more intense signal, leading to elevated hormone levels in the female producing copulatory behaviour.

What is an example of proximate cause in insurance?

An example of efficient proximate cause is when basement flooding causes a wire to short, which in turn causes a house fire. Although the damage from a fire would normally be covered, in this case since the fire was sparked by a noncovered cause, there would be no coverage under the efficient proximate cause doctrine.

What is proximate cause?

43 related questions found

What is proximate cause in life insurance?

The term proximate cause refers to the nearest cause leading to the loss. It is the direct cause of a loss event. The principle of proximate cause is the cause that is primary to the occurred event. It could also be the most significant incident which cascades into the loss event.

What are the two components of proximate cause?

There are two components of proximate cause: actual cause (which answers the question of who was the cause in fact of the harm or other loss) and legal cause (which answers the question of whether the harm or other loss was the foreseeable consequence of the original risk).

Which is an example of a proximate causation for a behavior according to Tinbergen?

3 Mechanism (causation)

Some prominent classes of Proximate causal mechanisms include: The brain: For example, Broca's area, a small section of the human brain, has a critical role in linguistic capability. Hormones: Chemicals used to communicate among cells of an individual organism.

What are proximate explanations?

Proximate explanations focus on things that occur during the life of an individual. Ultimate explanations focus on things that occur in populations over many generations.

What is proximate explain?

Definition of proximate

1 : immediately preceding or following (as in a chain of events, causes, or effects) proximate, rather than ultimate, goals— Reinhold Niebuhr. 2a : very near : close. b : soon forthcoming : imminent.

What is proximate cause and how is it different from cause in fact?

Actual cause, also known as “cause in fact,” is straightforward. When a bus strikes a car, the bus driver's actions are the actual cause of the accident. Proximate cause means “legal cause,” or one that the law recognizes as the primary cause of the injury.

What is a proximate cause in criminal law?

Proximate causation refers to a cause that is legally sufficient to find the defendant liable. For example, giving birth to a defendant will not be legally sufficient to find the mother liable because the birth was not the proximate cause of the tort.

What does proximate cause mean under tort of negligence?

Proximate cause means “legal cause,” or the cause that the law recognizes as the primary cause of the injury. It may not be the first event that set in motion a sequence of events that led to an injury, and it may not be the very last event before the injury occurs.

Which field of study can address the proximate cause of a behavior?

Behavioral Biology: Proximate and Ultimate Causes of Behavior. Behavior is the change in activity of an organism in response to a stimulus. Behavioral biology is the study of the biological and evolutionary bases for such changes.

What is proximate cause in animals?

Proximate causes include hereditary, developmental, structural, cognitive, psychological, and physiological aspects of behaviour. In other words, proximate causes are the mechanisms directly underlying the behaviour.

What is an example of a behavior caused by ontogeny?

For example, chicks might “learn” to peck before hatching as a result of the rhythmic beating of their heart, or they might have a pecking reflex and simply learn to associate a food reward with pecking at the parent's bill.

What are proximate and ultimate causes of behaviour in zoology?

animal behaviour

…arises in animals) from its ultimate cause (that is, the evolutionary history and functional utility of the behaviour). Proximate causes include hereditary, developmental, structural, cognitive, psychological, and physiological aspects of behaviour.

What are the major defenses to proximate cause?

[1] Once the elements have been established, the question then shifts to whether the defendant may still avoid liability by asserting a negligence defense. The most common negligence defenses are contributory negligence, comparative negligence, and assumption of risk.

Is proximate cause an element of negligence?

Do you want to hold another party accountable for their negligent behavior? Doing so means you and your lawyer must prove the five elements of negligence: duty, breach of duty, cause, in fact, proximate cause, and harm.

Why is proximate cause important in insurance?

Proximate Cause is an important principle of insurance, which helps in deciding how the loss or damage happens and whether it is the result of an insured peril or not. The important point to consider here is that proximate cause is the only nearest cause and not the remote cause.

Who decides proximate cause?

Proximate cause has to be determined by the law as the primary cause of injury. The injury is the direct result of the proximate cause without which the injury would not exist. It's an action that resulted in foreseeable consequences without anyone intervening.

Is proximate cause a defense?

Actual cause, the topic of the last chapter, is a legal determination used to establish a defendant's liability. Proximate cause, on the other hand, is a policy determination used to limit a defendant's liability. That being the case, we do not consider proximate cause unless we have established actual cause.

What are the 4 types of negligence?

Different Types of Negligence. While seemingly straightforward, the concept of negligence itself can also be broken down into four types of negligence: gross negligence, comparative negligence, contributory negligence, and vicarious negligence or vicarious liability.

Which of the following is correct regarding proximate cause in negligence?

Which of the following is correct regarding proximate cause in negligence? A defendant is not liable for the harmful results of his conduct that are unforeseeable. Which of the following statements regarding proximate cause is true? In direct cause cases, the unusual manner in which the injury occurred is not relevant.

What is the felony not the proximate cause of the resulting injury?

The felony committed is not the proximate cause of the resulting injury when: (a) there is an active force that intervened between the felony committed and the resulting injury, and the active force is a distinct act or fact absolutely foreign from the felonious act of the accused; or (b) the resulting injury is due to ...