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accident

Unforeseen event that causes damage to a person or property

Entityfailure mode type of incidentQ171558

Also known as mishap · misadventure · misfortune · accidents · breakdown · failure

Instance of: failure mode
, type of incident
Subclass of: incident
, calamity
Part of: manner of death

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

An accident is an unintended and usually undesirable event that is not deliberately caused by humans. Although in ordinary conversations, intentionality is the only factor most people consider, formally, accidents require three factors: it must be unintended, unpreventable, and unexpected. The term accident usually implies the presence of unrecognized or unaddressed risks. Many researchers and professionals in injury prevention discourage the use of the word accident, because the word accident suggests there is no fault, no guilt, no control, and that the situation could not have been anticipated or prevented. Instead, experts emphasize preventable factors that increase risk and worsen outcomes. For example, while a tree falling in a windstorm may not involve human intention, factors such as its condition, placement, or maintenance may contribute to the outcome. Similarly, most road collisions stem from risky behaviour or preventable circumstances rather than being truly accidental; the perception that they are accidents rather than predictable and preventable events was strengthened in the mid-20th century due to automobile industry influence through media.

Overview

All data

92 statements · 15% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

On other databases

59 identifiers linking accident across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

15%

externally sourced

Source last edited October 26, 2026. AIDb refreshes this page daily.

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AIDb. (2026). accident (Q171558). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/accident-Q171558