An injured party must prove which elements to collect from the party responsible for the accident?

• A. Duty Owed and Breach of Duty Only
• B. Causation and Damages Only
• C. Damages and Fault
• D. Duty Owed, Breach of Duty, Causation, and Damages

Answer: (D)

The key idea here is the four elements needed to prove a negligence claim: the injured party must show the defendant owed a duty of care, the duty was breached, the breach caused the injury (actual and proximate causation), and there are damages from the injury.

Duty means the defendant had a legal obligation to act reasonably to avoid harming others. Breach happens when that standard isn’t met. Causation ties the breach to the harm—the injury wouldn’t have occurred but for the breach, and it was a foreseeable consequence. Damages are the actual losses suffered, such as medical bills, lost income, or pain and suffering. If any one of these elements is missing, there’s no basis for recovery.