Factual causation
Factual causation
Real World
In Barnett v Chelsea & Kensington Hospital (1969), a doctor negligently sent a patient home without examination, but the patient had been fatally poisoned and would have died regardless. The 'but-for' test was not satisfied, so the claim failed.
Exam Focus
Always apply the 'but-for' test explicitly by name and state whether the harm would have occurred without the defendant's act.
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