Technology
Proximate Cause and Foreseeability in Tort Law
Quick fact
In the landmark case Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad (1928), the court found no liability because the harm was unforeseeable, setting the precedent that proximate cause requires the injury to be a foreseeable consequence of the defendant's actions.
Why this is interesting
You're standing on a train platform, and a worker pushes a passenger to help him board. The passenger drops a package of fireworks that explodes, toppling a scale that injures you across the platform. Is the worker legally responsible?