Proximate cause represents the proposition that a negligent party is legally liable only for the foreseeable risk that they cause.
A proximate cause, as used in both law and insurance, is an event that is sufficiently connected to an injury for the courts to recognize it as the injury's primary cause. The legal system distinguishes between proximate (also known as legal) cause and cause-in-fact. The "but for" test is used to identify cause-in-fact: Without the action, the outcome would not have occurred. (For instance, if the driver had not run the red light, the collision would not have happened.) Although the action is a necessary precondition for the injury, it might not be sufficient in and of itself. There are a few situations where the but for test is useless.
