What happens in cases of contributory negligence?

In cases of contributory negligence, the principle is that if an injured party is found to have contributed to their own injury, their ability to recover damages may be limited. Specifically, if the injured party is deemed to have failed to exercise reasonable care for their own safety and that failure contributed to the accident, they may not be entitled to any compensation at all. This is a strict legal standard where even a small degree of the injured party's negligence can bar recovery.

The correct answer highlights the concept that an injured party's own negligence plays a pivotal role in determining the outcome of their claim. In jurisdictions that follow contributory negligence, the injured person's failure to protect themselves sufficiently prohibits them from recovering damages, effectively denying their claim.

In contrast, other options do not accurately reflect the principles of contributory negligence. For instance, full compensation would contradict the principle as it does not take into account the injured party's negligence. Doubling damages is also not part of the contributory negligence framework, and simply accepting partial responsibility does not capture the full legal impact that contributory negligence entails in barring compensation altogether.