Proximate Cause

The immediate and effective cause of the loss - not necessarily the last event before the occurrence which, in a chain of circumstances leads naturally and directly in the ordinary course of events t the loss. Note difference from "causa causans". The well known firecracker case perhaps best illustrates the difference between proximate cause and causa causans. It will be recalled that a boy lighted a firecracker and threw it to another boy in the group. The recipient fearing an explosion, quickly tossed the firecracker to another and so on until it eventually exploded and a boy was injured. The causa causans is the last boy who threw the firecracker to the boy who was injured. The proximate cause, however, is the boy who started the unbroken chain of events that resulted in the injury.