Personal injury law, which calls into the category of civil law, punishes wrongful conduct. Most accident and injury cases, which include car accidents and medical malpractice, are governed by the doctrine of negligence, which prohibits all members of society from putting others at risk. The doctrine recognizes that injuries may be caused by unintentional and unavoidable accidents, and therefore assigns liability only when a plaintiff can show that a “reasonably prudent” person in the defendant’s position would have acted differently under normal circumstances.

Examples of negligence include situations where a responsible party ignored risk posed to others that caused injury or accidents, such as allowing a dangerous pet to roam free, drunk driving, and medical complications from a physician’s error. After negligence has been established, the defendant must compensate the plaintiff for all injuries, including property damage, medical bills, lost wages, and emotional suffering.

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