In addition to consent, the law recognizes natural and legislative justifications that completely absolve a defendant of civil liability.
1. Act of God (Vis Major)
An extraordinary, unprecedented, and unanticipated event of natural forces (such as extraordinary floods, volcanic eruptions, or earthquakes) that occurs without human intervention and could not have been prevented by reasonable foresight.
2. Inevitable Accident
An accident that could not have been avoided by the exercise of ordinary care, caution, and skill of a reasonable person (e.g., a pheasant shooter's pellet ricocheting off an oak tree and injuring a beater, as in Stanley v. Powell).
3. Statutory Authorization
If an act that would otherwise be a tort is authorized by a statute enacted by Parliament, the injured party has no civil remedy except for any compensation provided within that statute.