principle of cause proxima
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Answer:
Causa Proxima | Insurance | Areas of Law | Law Library | AdvocateKhoj. It is a rule of law that in actions on fire policies, full regard must be had to the causa proxima. If the proximate cause of the loss is fire, the loss is recoverable.
Answer:
The term causa proxima means nearest or proximate or immediate cause. In other words the rule of causa proxima means that the cause of the loss must be proximate or immediate and not remote. If the proximate cause of the loss is a peril insured against, the Insured can recover. If the real cause of the loss is insured, the insurer is liable to pay compensation. Otherwise the insurer is not liable to pay compensation. Proximate cause means the active efficient cause that sets in a motion of events which brings about a result. When a loss has been brought about by two or more causes, the question arises as to which is the causa proxima, although the result could not have happened without the remote cause. But if the loss is brought about by any cause attributable to the misconduct of the insured, the insurer is not liable.
It is mainly applicable in the case marine insurance. According to section 55 of the Marine insurance Act 1963, the insurance company is liable to indemnify only those losses which has been caused by proximate or nearest cause covered under the policy and not for other remote causes. Proximate cause has been defined in a well known case of Pawsey Vs Scottish Union and National Insurance Company. According to this case, proximate cause is the effective efficient cause that sets in motion a train of events which brings about a result, without the intervention of any force started and working actively from a new independent source”.
AS per this definition the causa proxima means the direct, the most dominant and most effective or efficient cause which results in to a definite loss. For example an insured suffered injuries in an accident. He was admitted to the hospital. He contracted an infectious decease while undergoing the treatment. He dies due to this infectious decease. The court held that the proximate cause of his death was infectious decease and not the injury. The original accident was not the remote cause. So the claim cannot be payable under personal accident insurance.
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