A superseding cause is an act or event which occurs after another act or event that alter the outcome of the original act or event. This concept is often used in legal cases, where there may be multiple parties who have contributed to an incident, but only one party who is ultimately responsible for causing it. It is a legal term which refers to an independent cause that makes an earlier act or omission irrelevant or breaks the chain of causation. Essentially, a superseding cause “supersedes” the original act or event.
Examples of Superseding Causes
To illustrate this concept, consider the following example. Fred is a pedestrian walking across a street. The traffic light turns red, and Bob, a driver, fails to stop and hits Fred. The driver’s negligence might be seen as the cause of Fred’s injuries — but if a third party, Lucy, a cyclist, zooms past and purposely hits Fred to protect Bob, she could be seen as the superseding cause of Fred’s injuries. In this situation, Lucy’s actions supersede the actions of Bob, so Bob may not be liable for the resulting injuries.
Another example might be a situation where a person is injured in a building when it collapses. The building owner might be considered negligent for not properly maintaining the building, but if an earthquake occurs and causes the building to collapse, the earthquake could be seen as the superseding cause in this situation.
Importance of the Superseding Cause
The concept of superseding cause is important because it allows judges and juries to determine who should be held liable in a legal case. When a court finds that the defendant is not liable because of a superseding cause, it relieves the defendant from responsibility for the resulting damage or injury. When a superseding cause can be identified, the parties involved can focus on how to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future and address the underlying issue of why the incident occurred.