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Abstract
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Accidents mean, literally, falling to or coming upon, by agencies beyond our control. The ancients regarded them as coming from heaven and the idea has descended to modern time, and is expressed by the word providential.
Providentially hindered is a frequent phrase, but the accident which brings harm to a man's body will be found on investigation to be the result of ignorance, carelessness or design on the part of the injured, or some other person.
It is called a railroad accident if a switch has been designedly misplaced; it is regarded as an accident if a person's clothing takes fire from the bursting of a kerosene lamp, when in reality it resulted in the ignorance or carelessness of the person handling it, in great part, but not altogether; the man who supplied the oil is in part a criminal for supplying a burning fluid which is dangerous, and which if honestly prepared would not have taken fire. It was his business to have ascertained by his own testing that the oil was safe, which he could have done without expense or trouble in five minutes. In most accidents or casualties there are several things to be done at once, and in many cases these first things decide the issue of life and death...
(term-accident-vs-injury)
Language: en |