Arkansas Accidents Dictionary

Legal and insurance terms explained plainly

Not the same as "you knew something could go wrong, so you're out of luck." That is the lazy version people use to shut down an injury claim. What it actually means is that...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

attractive nuisance

Think of a half-finished treehouse, an unlocked excavator, or a pond that looks like a perfect place to play. Kids do not see legal warnings; they see something fun, shiny,...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

breach of duty

A breach of duty happens when a person or company fails to act with the level of care that the law requires under the circumstances. In a negligence case, this is the step that...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-27

but-for causation

The point that confuses people most is that it does not mean an act was the only cause of harm. It means the harm would not have happened but for that act or omission. Put...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-25

comparative negligence

Miss this idea after a crash or worksite injury, and a claim that looks solid can shrink fast - or disappear entirely. Comparative negligence is the rule courts and insurance...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26

contributory negligence

Did I do something that could reduce what I recover after an accident? That is the basic idea behind contributory negligence: a rule that looks at whether an injured person...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-30

dram shop liability

When a drunk-driving crash leaves you with medical bills, lost income, and a wrecked vehicle, your case may be worth more than the driver's insurance alone. Dram shop liability...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

duty of care

A legal obligation to act with reasonable care and avoid harming others. "Legal obligation" means the law expects a person or business to behave in a way that fits the...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-29

eggshell plaintiff rule

A defendant takes the injured person as they find them, which means they are on the hook for the full harm they cause even if the victim was unusually fragile, already sick, or...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-02

gross negligence

What makes carelessness bad enough to count as more than an ordinary mistake? Gross negligence is conduct that shows a serious lack of care - more than simple negligence, and...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26

last clear chance

A rule from older negligence law that lets an injured person recover damages even after being careless, if the other side had the final real opportunity to avoid the harm and...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

negligence

People often confuse negligence with recklessness, but they are not the same. Negligence means failing to use reasonable care under the circumstances - doing something...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26

negligence per se

You just got a letter that says the other driver was "negligent per se" because they violated a safety law. That phrase means a person's conduct is treated as legally negligent...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

negligent entrustment

What trips people up most is that the person who actually causes the crash or injury is not the only one who can be on the hook. If someone hands over a vehicle, forklift,...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-02

pecuniary loss

Insurance companies and defense lawyers often use this phrase to shrink a death claim down to dollars on paper. They may argue there is little or no recovery because the person...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

premises liability

Can a property owner be held responsible if someone gets hurt on their property? Yes. Premises liability is the rule that owners, landlords, businesses, and sometimes people in...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

proximate cause

A legally close enough link between someone's conduct and an injury, such that the law will treat that conduct as a cause of the harm. Put more plainly, not every event in the...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-24

respondeat superior

A rule of vicarious liability makes an employer legally responsible for harm caused by an employee who was acting within the scope of employment when the act occurred. The...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-31

strict liability

Do I have to prove the other side was careless, or is causing the harm enough? In some cases, causing the harm is enough. Strict liability is a rule that makes a person or...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-03

structured settlement

You just got a letter that says part of your injury case may be paid through a structured settlement, and the worst mistake people make is treating it like a regular lump-sum...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-22

superseding cause

A superseding cause is a later event that breaks the chain between someone's original mistake and the final injury, shifting legal responsibility because the later event became...

DICTIONARY 2026-04-02

TNC insurance gap

$50,000 can be the difference between some coverage and a nasty surprise after a rideshare crash. This phrase usually means the coverage problem that can happen when an Uber or...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-21

vicarious liability

Often confused with direct liability, vicarious liability is responsibility imposed on one person or entity for the wrongful act of another, even when the first party did not...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-26

wrongful death beneficiary

A wrongful death beneficiary is a person the law allows to receive compensation when someone dies because of another party's negligence, misconduct, or other legally wrongful...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-23

wrongful death damage cap

People often confuse a wrongful death damage cap with wrongful death damages themselves. Wrongful death damages are the money losses a court or insurer may recognize after a...

DICTIONARY 2026-03-22