Commonwealth v. Carlson
Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
849 N.E.2d 790 (2006)
Relevant factsFree
Carlson (defendant) ran a stop sign and collided with a car carrying Suprenant, who suffered chest injuries requiring a ventilator; after her kidneys later began failing, Suprenant chose, with full awareness of the likely outcome, to be taken off the ventilator rather than continue invasive treatment, and she died hours later. Carlson was convicted of motor-vehicle homicide by negligent operation and appealed, arguing the accident wasn't the actual cause of her death.
IssueFree
Whether a person's conduct is a proximate cause of another person's death if the conduct initiates a natural and continuous sequence of events, without which the death would not have transpired.