Which legal doctrine allows negligence to be inferred from an accident?

The legal doctrine that allows negligence to be inferred from an accident is known as res ipsa loquitur. This doctrine applies in situations where the conduct leading to an injury is so obvious that it implies negligence, even when there is no direct evidence showing how the negligent act occurred. It places the burden of proof on the defendant to show that they were not negligent.

For example, if a patient undergoes surgery and a surgical instrument is left inside their body, res ipsa loquitur can be applied because such an occurrence typically would not happen without some level of negligence on the part of the medical professionals involved. The focus here is on the very nature of the accident, which serves as evidence that negligence likely took place.

The other options represent different legal concepts but do not pertain to inferring negligence from the mere occurrence of an accident. The substantial factor rule relates to determining causation in tort cases rather than directly addressing negligence. Comparative negligence involves assessing the degree of fault among multiple parties in an incident, and contributory negligence refers to a legal standard in which a party’s own negligence can limit their ability to recover damages. These concepts do not provide the same inference of negligence simply from the occurrence of an accident as res ipsa loquitur does.