Accidents caused by carelessness fill civil dockets. Negligence is the failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances, resulting in harm to another.

Plaintiffs typically prove duty, breach, causation, and damages. The reasonable-person standard adapts to specialized skills, so professionals are judged against competent peers. Comparative or contributory negligence rules may reduce or bar recovery when the plaintiff shares fault.

Negligence doctrine underpins much of tort law, from car crashes to slip-and-fall cases and many professional liability claims. Insurance spreads the cost. Clear safety practices and documentation help defendants show they met the standard of care.

• Failure to use reasonable care causing harm
• Requires duty, breach, causation, and damages
• Measured against a reasonable-person standard
• Subject to shared-fault doctrines