A more thorough explanation:

Definition: Legal cause refers to a cause that leads to a result in a natural and likely sequence, and without which the result would not have happened. It involves examining whether a defendant should be held responsible for the consequences of their actions, based on the foreseeability of those consequences. The focus is on whether the connection between the defendant's actions and the ultimate result is strong enough to impose liability.

For example, in the case of Dupre & Son Floor Covering, Inc. v. City of Iota, police officers failed to impound a pickup truck after its driver failed to provide proof of insurance. Nine days later, the driver of the pickup truck caused an accident by crossing the centerline of a highway and striking another vehicle. The court found that the police officers' failure to impound the truck was not the legal cause of the accident, as it was not foreseeable that the driver would cause an accident so long after the initial incident.

Another example of legal cause might be a situation where a person leaves a banana peel on the ground, and someone slips and falls on it, injuring themselves. If it can be shown that the person who left the banana peel knew or should have known that it was likely to cause someone to slip and fall, they could be held legally responsible for the injuries that resulted.

In both of these examples, the concept of legal cause is used to determine whether a defendant should be held responsible for the consequences of their actions. It involves looking at the foreseeability of those consequences, and whether the defendant's actions were a direct cause of the ultimate result.