Does the intervening event principle absolve an original tortfeasor of legal liability?

British Columbia, Canada


The following excerpt is from Bernatchez v Chisholm, 2022 BCSC 105 (CanLII):

The intervening event principle absolves an original tortfeasor of legal liability where a later act or event occurs that breaks the chain of causation. Whether a subsequent act is of significant magnitude to break the chain of causation is a question of fact: Hussack v. Chilliwack School District No. 33, 2011 BCCA 258 at paras. 76–77, 87–88. The reasonableness of a plaintiff’s actions can be considered in determining whether the chain of causation has been broken: Hussack at para. 82; Safdari v. Buckland, 2020 BCSC 769 at paras. 136–137.

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