SULLIVAN, J.
Following the death of 13-year-old Kodi Pipes at basketball practice for his school’s team, his parents brought a child wrongful death action against the school corporation. This case requires us to determine whether Indiana law recognizes a rebuttable presumption that children between the ages of seven and 14 are incapable of contributory negligence. We hold that Indiana does recognize the presumption. As such, we affirm the jury verdict for the plaintiffs.
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Kodi’s parents, Ronna Timberman and John Pipes II, filed a complaint against Clay City Schools, alleging that the school was negligent under Indiana’s Child Wrongful Death Statute, Ind. Code § 34-23-2-1. The School defended, arguing that Kodi’s own negligence contributed to his death. (Under Indiana law, “contributory negligence” has been considered an absolute defense available to governmental entities, including public schools.) Nevertheless, the jury re-turned a verdict and damage award in favor of Kodi’s parents.
The School appealed. The Court of Appeals reversed and remanded for a new trial. Clay City Consol. Sch. Corp. v. Timberman, 896 N.E.2d 1229, 1238 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008). It found that the trial court committed reversible error when, at the request of Kodi’s parents, the trial court gave the jury the following instruction:
In deciding whether Kodi Pipes was contributorily negligent, you should know that Indiana law recognizes a rebuttable presumption that children from the age of 7 to 14 years of age are rebuttably presumed to be incapable of contributor[y] negligence.
A “rebuttable presumption” means that if you find Clay School Corpora-tion has not presented evidence to show that Kodi Pipes’ own negligence contributed to his death, you should presume that Kodi Pipes was not contributorily negligent. If, on the other hand, you find that Clay School Corporation has presented evidence to show that Kodi Pipes was contributorily negligent then you should weigh that evidence against both the presumption that children between 7 and 14 are rebutta[b]ly presumed to be incapable of contributory negligence, through their own negligence, to their injuries and any evidence that Kodi Pipes’ negligence did not contribute to his death in deciding the issue of whether Kodi Pipes was contributorily negligent.
(Appellant’s App. 31.) The Court of Appeals reasoned that “Indiana law does not conclusively contain a presumption either in favor or against seven to fourteen-year-olds with respect to whether they can be found liable for their negligent acts.” Id. at 1237.
The parents sought, and we granted, transfer. Ind. Appellate Rule 58(A).
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From time to time, children between the ages of seven and 14 find themselves involved in negligence actions, sometimes as plaintiffs and sometimes as defendants. The standard of care for a child between the ages of seven and 14 is well-established. A substantial majority of all jurisdictions accept the flexible rule set forth in Restatement (Second) of Torts § 283A (1965) (“Restatement”) regarding the liability of children for their tortuous acts: that of a reasonable person of like age, knowledge, judgment, and experience. Our cases have consistently declared that a child between seven and 14 is required to exercise due care for his or her own safety under the circumstances and that the care required is to be measured by that ordinarily exercised under similar circumstances by children of the same age, knowledge, judgment, and experience. See, e.g., Creasy v. Rusk, 730 N.E.2d 659, 662 (Ind. 2000); Smith v. Diamond, 421 N.E.2d 1172, 1179 (Ind. Ct. App. 1981).
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. . . Indiana law recognizes a rebuttable presumption that children between the ages of seven and 14 are incapable of contributory negligence, as Justice Rucker’s Mangold opinion correctly stated. In addition to being consistent with the Bottorff precedent, we believe it accords with the unquestioned obligation that the alleged tortfeasor bears of proving contributory negligence. In point of fact, given the extraordinary protection that the doctrine of contributory negligence provides alleged tortfeasors, this presumption in favor of youthful alleged victims is a very modest benefit at best.
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The trial court’s Final Instruction No. 20 stated in part that “Indiana law recognizes a rebuttable presumption that children from the age of 7 to 14 years of age do not contribute to their own injuries through their own negligence.” (Appellant’s App. 59.) Applying Evid. R. 301, as discussed in Schultz, the trial court’s instruction reflected a presumption running in favor of Ko-di that was required to be overcome by Clay City Schools. Clay City Schools was entitled to rebut the presumption with evidence showing Kodi’s capacity, i.e., by offering proof that Kodi, based on his age, mental capacity, intelligence and experience, was accountable for his actions. Once such proof was offered, the question of contributory negligence would become a question of fact for the jury to determine. Under Part II-B, supra, and Evid. R. 301, Final Instruction No. 20 was a correct statement of law. Under Evid. R. 301 and Schultz, the presumption had a continuing effect, regardless of any contrary evidence regarding Kodi’s particular decision-making level. The trial court did not err when it gave the jury Final Instruction No. 20.
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Clay City Schools contends that the trial court committed reversible error when instructing the jury on proximate cause in Final Instruction Nos. 19, 21, and 25. The disputed instructions do not state that the act or omission by Clay City Schools must be a “substantial factor,” nor do they refer to “but for” causation. The Court of Appeals determined that the trial court abused its discretion when it instructed the jury on proximate cause. See Clay City Consol. Sch. Corp., 896 N.E.2d at 1241-42 (citing Hawkins v. Cannon, 826 N.E.2d 658, 662 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005) (finding that including “but for” causation in the definition of proximate cause cured any error omitting an instruction on the “substantial factor” test)). The court reasoned that “but for” causation is “the minimal requirement to determine proximate cause.” Clay City Consol. Sch. Corp., 896 N.E.2d at 1243.
The same authority that the Court of Appeals cites for the proposition of a “but for” minimum requirement first states that “[a] negligent act is said to be the proximate cause of an injury „if the injury is a natural and probable consequence, which in the light of the circumstances, should have been foreseen or anticipated.’” Paragon Family Rest. v. Bartolini, 799 N.E.2d 1048, 1054 (Ind. 2003) (quoting Bader v. Johnson, 732 N.E.2d 1212, 1218 (Ind. 2000)). Here, the court issued such an instruction in Final Instruction No. 22. This instruction stated that “[a]n act or omission is a proximate cause of an injury/death if the injury/death is a natural and probable consequence of the act or omission.” (Appellant’s App. 33.) Final Instruction No. 22 closely tracks Indiana Pattern Jury Instruction (Civil) No. 5.06. Indiana Pattern Jury Instruction No. 5.06 does not include language referring to “but for” causation; it provides that “[a]n act or omission is a proximate cause of an [injury] [death] [property damage] if the [injury][death][property damage] is a natural and probable consequence of the act or omission.”
We conclude that an instruction on proximate cause is not required to refer to “but for” causation[.] To omit such language does not constitute error, so long as the instructions as a whole adequately convey the law in this area. Here, reading the trial court’s instructions on proximate cause together, accurately instructs the jury on the relevant law. The trial court did not commit reversible error in this respect.
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We find no reversible error; therefore, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.
Shepard, C.J., and Dickson, Boehm, and Rucker, JJ., concur.