***Tort Law Discussion Question***

Please answer all of the questions below:

The “reasonable person” will follow you throughout the semester.  The following example is useful:

Pat, a college student, is driving home from class and is having problems with the CD player in the automobile. Suddenly, the disc in the unit starts spinning out of control. Pat is hurriedly trying to fix it and is not watching where the vehicle is going.  Pat fails to see that the traffic signal ahead has turned red, goes into the intersection, and collides with another vehicle. 

Did Pat fail to exercise the degree of care that a reasonable person would have exercised under the circumstances?  If so, what would a reasonable person have done?  Were Pat’s actions the proximate cause of the damages sustained?