Every person has a legal duty to prevent unreasonable injury to themselves. [i] This becomes an issue in personal injury cases where it is shown that the injured party is themselves partially responsible. In such instances, courts apply the principle of contributory negligence to apportion damages between the parties – the injured party included – whom contributed to the injury. The effect of a finding of contributory negligence for the injured party would be to reduce the total compensation they would otherwise be entitled to, by that percentage.