What is contributory negligence?

Contributory negligence is a legal term that relates to an individual’s responsibility in an accident. In Virginia, contributory negligence is an all-or-nothing defense that prevents someone from recovering any damages if they are even partly at fault for the accident. For example, if a person is involved in a car accident and the other driver is determined to be mostly at fault, the contributory negligence law comes into play. If the individual who was injured is found to be even 1% at fault, they will not receive any compensation for their damages. The rule of contributory negligence is the same in all states, but the details vary slightly. In Virginia, an individual cannot sue any entity or person if they are even slightly at fault in an accident. For example, if someone is injured while riding a bicycle and they did not have a light on their bicycle, they would be unable to sue if the other party was significantly more at fault. The idea behind this law is that people should not get away with making careless decisions that lead to an accident. However, this law can also make it difficult for people to get the compensation they need after being injured in an accident.

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What is contributory negligence?

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