Subsequent remedial measures are repairs or changes made after an accident has occurred which could have decreased the likelihood of the accident occurring or prevented it altogether. An example of a subsequent remedial measure is if a private business did not have a handrail for its staircase, a customer falls, and then a week later, the business installs a handrail.
Under the Federal Rules of Evidence, subsequent remedial measures cannot be used to prove a party's negligence, wrongdoing or culpability. However, evidence of a subsequent remedial measure can be admissible for some other relevant purpose, such as to prove ownership, or control, or that it was possible to have prevented the accident through other means.
[Last updated in June of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]
- Keywords