How can negligence be defined?

Negligence can be defined as careless neglect that often results in injury. This definition emphasizes the idea that negligence arises from a failure to act with reasonable care, leading to unintended harm to individuals or damage to property. It is characterized by a lack of proper attention or consideration, which falls short of what is expected from a responsible person in similar circumstances.

For example, if a driver fails to stop at a red light and causes an accident, this would be considered negligent behavior because it demonstrates a lack of caution that could have prevented the injury to others. The key elements of negligence typically include a duty of care owed to another party, a breach of that duty, causation, and actual damages resulting from that breach.

In contrast, intentional harm involves a deliberate action to cause injury, a legal agreement pertains to contractual obligations between parties, and the breach of fiduciary duty relates to violations of trust or responsibilities in certain relationships, such as between a lawyer and client or a trustee and beneficiary. These concepts are distinct from negligence, which centers around unintentional harm caused by oversight or carelessness.