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Simple English definitions for legal terms
dependent intervening cause
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A quick definition of dependent intervening cause:
A dependent intervening cause is something that happens between someone doing something wrong and someone getting hurt, but it doesn't change the person who did something wrong from being responsible. It's like if someone was driving too fast and then a bird flew into their windshield causing them to crash. The bird is a dependent intervening cause, but the driver is still responsible for the crash.A more thorough explanation:
Definition: A cause of an accident or injury that happens between the defendant's behavior and the harmful outcome, but does not change the defendant's responsibility. It is a type of intervening cause that does not relieve the wrongdoer of liability.
Example: A driver hits a pedestrian who is crossing the street. The pedestrian is injured and taken to the hospital. While in the hospital, the pedestrian develops an infection due to the hospital's negligence. The infection is a dependent intervening cause because it happened after the accident, but it does not change the driver's liability for hitting the pedestrian.
This example illustrates that even though the hospital's negligence caused harm to the pedestrian, the driver is still responsible for the initial injury caused by hitting the pedestrian.