Medical negligence cases are often viewed through the lens of whether a healthcare provider made a mistake or not. However, simply proving that a medical provider breached the requisite standard of care is not, alone, enough. A plaintiff must also establish that said breach caused the damages claimed.
Causation in the legal sense requires that a plaintiff prove that the medical provider’s negligence (whether that be something the provider did or failed to do) likely caused or materially contributed to the injury complained of.
The Importance of Causation
The Ontario Court decision in Johnson v. Lakeridge Health Corporation, 2023 ONSC 2575 (upheld by the Court of Appeal in 2024) demonstrates the importance of establishing causation.
