Bill is driving down the road, obeying the speed limit, when John steps off the curb and directly into Bill's path. Bill strikes John, who is thrown into a light pole and killed. Is Bill liable for John's death?

Speaking from just a civil/tort perspective (there may be criminal law implications, but we will leave those out of this discussion), if John's family sued Bill, it would be under a theory of negligence. Let's look at this theory to see if we can determine Bill's liability.

That is an overview of the concept of negligence.

So, is Bill liable for John's death? Why? Why not?