December 16, 2025 | Personal Injury
When a party causes harm or injury to someone, Tennessee’s personal injury laws allow the injured person to hold that party liable for their damages. However, the victim must generally prove the elements of negligence to establish liability. One of the four elements of negligence is causation, which encompasses both actual and proximate cause. This blog post will explain the concept of proximate cause and provide examples of proximate cause in personal injury cases in Tennessee.
What Is Proximate Cause?
In Tennessee, to prove negligence and recover damages, the plaintiff must establish both actual cause and proximate cause. Actual cause shows a direct causal link (“but for” causation) between the defendant’s (wrongdoer’s) conduct and the victim’s injury. Proximate cause limits the defendant’s liability to injuries that are reasonable and foreseeable outcomes of their actions. It prevents liability for highly remote or accidental consequences. Proximate cause examines whether there is a sufficient legal connection between a party’s conduct and the result to impose liability. A party could be negligent without being liable for damages. The negligence and the ultimate result must be more closely related than trivially or remotely connected.
Tennessee’s Three-Pronged Test for Proximate Cause
Tennessee uses a three-part test to evaluate proximate cause. The Tennessee Supreme Court outlined the three-pronged test in its decision in McClenahan v. Cooley and again in Haynes v. Hamilton County. The court’s rulings provide the three elements required to prove proximate cause:
- The defendant’s conduct was a substantial factor in bringing about the injury.
- There is no rule or legal policy to relieve the defendant from liability.
- The type of harm was reasonably foreseeable to a person of ordinary prudence and intelligence.
Courts analyze foreseeability from the perspective of a reasonable person when determining whether the harm was a predictable consequence of the defendant’s conduct. The “reasonable person” standard asks what a person of ordinary prudence would conclude given the same facts and circumstances. Jurors decide this question in a civil trial. The proximate cause does not need to be the only factor leading to the injury, nor does it have to be the last or nearest act. Under Tennessee law, it is enough that the defendant’s conduct is a substantial factor in producing the harm. Furthermore, an intervening cause does not automatically release the defendant from liability. However, the intervening act must have been reasonably foreseen, and the original conduct remains a substantial factor in the result.
Compelling Examples of Proximate Cause in Personal Injury Cases
These examples illustrate how proximate cause is applied in real personal injury scenarios:
Rear-End Collision from Brake Checking
Suppose a driver brakes suddenly to warn a tailgater, who crashes into them. The sudden braking is a foreseeable cause of the collision, making it a likely proximate cause.
Slip and Fall on Wet Floor
A business owner fails to warn customers about water on the floor or to clean it up promptly. Then, a customer slips on the wet floor in the store. The injury was foreseeable and attributable to store management’s negligence.
Poor Security Leading to Assault
A person suffers injuries because of an assault in a poorly lit parking garage with a known history of assaults. The owner’s failure to secure the premises creates a foreseeable risk of injury and liability.
Medical Negligence
Medical providers cannot guarantee outcomes. Even with the best care, a patient may not recover. However, a patient developing an infection after a surgeon leaves a tool inside the patient is a foreseeable consequence of the surgeon’s action.
How Proximate Cause Affects Liability in Tennessee
Multiple negligent parties could be liable in a single personal injury case. Each party’s conduct may be a proximate cause if each’s conduct substantially contributed to the injury. Tennessee law does not require that the cause be the only or last act. It only requires that the conduct be a substantial factor to impose liability. If a case involved multiple negligent parties, Tennessee’s modified comparative negligence rule can affect the victim’s damages. Under this rule, parties are usually only responsible for paying damages that are proportionate to their share of the blame for the accident. If the victim is more than 50% responsible, they may be barred from recovering any compensation.
What Damages Are Available for a Personal Injury Claim in Nashville, TN?
Upon successfully proving the legal elements of a personal injury case, you can seek economic damages for your financial losses. You can also seek non-economic damages for the pain and suffering you experienced. Damages in a personal injury case can include:
- Mental anguish and emotional distress
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Medical bills, including the cost of rehabilitative therapies
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disability and permanent impairment
- Lost wages, decreased earning capacity, and loss of employment benefits
- Nursing and/or personal care
- Diminished quality of life
The value of damages in a personal injury case depends on many factors, including the strength of the evidence proving proximate cause and other legal elements. The severity of your injuries is another significant factor in determining how much your case is worth.
Contact Our Nashville Personal Injury Lawyers at Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC for a Free Consultation
Have you or a loved one been injured due to someone else’s negligence in Tennessee? If so, call Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC to schedule a free consultation with a Nashville personal injury lawyer. Our skilled and successful attorneys can help you establish proximate cause in your case and fight for the compensation you’re entitled to.
f you’ve been injured in an accident in Lexington or Bowling Green, please contact our car accident lawyers at Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC for a free case evaluation.
Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC – Lexington, KY Office 325 W Main St #210, Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 550-2900
Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC -Bowling Green, KY Office 814 State St. suite 100, Bowling Green, KY, 42101 (270) 517-2014
Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC – Nashville Office 49 Music Square W #504, Nashville, TN 37203 (615) 676-7060