Negligence is defined as the omission to do something which a reasonable man would do, or, in the alternative, the doing of something which a reasonable man would not do. Negligence is by far the most common basis for recovering damages in a personal injury case, whether its an automobile accident, a slip and fall matter or any other type of injury claim.
Negligence is based on the concept that each of us owes a duty of some sort when engaging and interacting with others. That duty may be to operate our automobile in a reasonable fashion, to obey traffic signals and posted speed limits, or to clear our sidewalk of debris so that others will not trip and fall.
Negligence occurs when we breach a duty that is owed to others. There are different levels of duty to consider as well. For example, a child is normally not held to the same standard as an adult, and will be measured against other children of like age and experience. The measuring stick goes back to the definition of Negligence, namely, the duty to act as a reasonable person would. As in the above examples, negligence would occur when we drive our automobile too fast or fail to obey traffic signals, or when the neighbor falls because our sidewalk is unkempt. Each of us owes a duty to others to act in a reasonable fashion.
I provide free consultations for clients throughout Western Pennsylvania, including Home and Hospital visits, if necessary. To set up a free initial consultation, contact my office at 412-823-8003 or send an email to Attorney Greg Artim