Legal Definitions - chain of causation

A chain of causation is a series of events that are each caused by the previous one. It refers to the causal connection between a cause and its effects.

• Example 1: A person drinks too much alcohol, becomes intoxicated, and then gets into a car accident. The chain of causation in this scenario is that the excessive drinking caused the intoxication, which in turn caused the car accident.
• Example 2: A company releases toxic chemicals into a river, which causes fish to die. The chain of causation in this scenario is that the release of toxic chemicals caused the death of the fish.

These examples illustrate how one event can lead to another, creating a chain of causation. In both cases, the initial cause (excessive drinking or release of toxic chemicals) led to a series of effects (intoxication and car accident or death of fish). Understanding the chain of causation is important in determining responsibility and accountability for the events that occurred.