What is contributory negligence?

Contributory negligence is a legal theory that holds people responsible for their own injuries when those injuries were partly caused by their own actions. Under this theory, if someone is injured in an accident, and their actions contributed to the injury, they cannot recover damages from any other party to the accident. This means that if a person was partly to blame for an accident, they cannot collect any damages from the other person involved. In California, the contributory negligence law is quite strict, meaning that any fault or negligence on the part of the injured person bars them from recovering damages. This means that even if the other person was 99% to blame for the accident, if the injured person was 1% to blame, then they would receive nothing in terms of damages. Thus, it is important for anyone in an accident to be aware of the contributory negligence law in California, as it may affect their ability to recover damages.

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