This legal doctrine addresses situations where an injured party’s own negligence contributed to the harm they suffered. If an individual’s actions, even to a small degree, played a role in causing their injuries, it can impact their ability to recover damages from another party who may have also been at fault. For example, if a pedestrian is hit by a car but was crossing the street against a red light, their claim against the driver might be affected.
The principle serves as a mechanism to ensure fairness by recognizing that responsibility for an injury can be shared. Historically, this concept provided a complete bar to recovery; any fault on the part of the injured individual, no matter how minor, would prevent them from receiving compensation. Over time, many jurisdictions have shifted to modified forms of this principle, aiming to mitigate potentially harsh outcomes.
