Accident vs. Incident: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
An accident is an unplanned event causing damage or injury; an incident is a broader term for any event, notable or commonplace.
Key Differences
An accident specifically refers to an unexpected, often harmful event, usually involving damage or injury. An incident, however, encompasses a wider range of events, not necessarily negative or accidental, but can include any significant happening.
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Accidents are often associated with a lack of intent, such as a car crash or a slip and fall. Incidents can be intentional or unintentional, ranging from a security breach (intentional) to a power outage (unintentional).
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In legal and insurance contexts, accidents usually imply a degree of liability and compensation. Incidents, in contrast, may be recorded and investigated, especially in organizational settings, to understand and prevent future occurrences, irrespective of liability.
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The term accident typically brings to mind scenarios of physical harm or property damage. Incident is a neutral term, used in various contexts like IT (security incident), healthcare (medical incident), and business (workplace incident).
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In usage, accidents are often seen as preventable and leading to lessons in safety and caution. Incidents, while they may also lead to learning opportunities, do not inherently carry this connotation of preventability or need for caution.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
An unplanned event causing damage or injury
Any notable event, whether positive or negative
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Implication of Negativity
Usually implies harm or damage
Neutral, can be positive or negative
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Scope
Generally limited to harmful events
Broad, encompasses a wide range of events
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Usage Context
Common in legal, safety, and insurance contexts
Used in various fields like IT, healthcare, etc.
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Accident and Incident Definitions
Accident
An accident refers to an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly.
He broke his leg in a skiing accident last winter.
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Incident
An incident is an event or occurrence, possibly significant or unusual.
The security team quickly responded to the incident at the entrance.
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Accident
Accident often implies a lack of intention, leading to unintended consequences.
The chemical spill was an accident during a routine experiment.
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Incident
An incident can be a minor or major event, not necessarily negative.
The launch event went smoothly, with no incidents to report.
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Accident
An accident is an unforeseen event causing injury or damage.
The car skidded on ice, leading to a serious accident.
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Incident
An incident may refer to a specific instance of something happening.
The company recorded the incident as a breach of protocol.
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Accident
An accident can be a mishap resulting in damage or malfunction.
A technical accident disrupted the factory's production line.
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Accident
An accident is sometimes used to describe a failure or mistake in a process.
The financial loss was due to an accounting accident.
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Accident
An unexpected and undesirable event, especially one resulting in damage or harm
An accident on the assembly line.
Car accidents on icy roads.
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Incident
A usually violent or disruptive occurrence, especially one that precipitates a larger crisis
An international incident that provoked war.
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Accident
An unforeseen event that is not the result of intention or has no apparent cause
A series of happy accidents led to his promotion.
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Incident
An occurrence that interrupts normal procedure or functioning; a mishap
The plane landed without incident.
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Incident
Tending to arise or occur as a result or accompaniment
"There is a professional melancholy ... incident to the occupation of a tailor" (Charles Lamb).
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Accident
(Philosophy) An attribute of a substance that is not essential to its nature.
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Accident
An unexpected event with negative consequences occurring without the intention of the one suffering the consequences, and (in the strict sense) not directly caused by humans.
To die by an accident such as an act of God
Act of God
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Accident
(legal) casus; such unforeseen, extraordinary, extraneous interference as is out of the range of ordinary calculation.
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Incident
An event or occurrence.
She could not recall the time of the incident.
It was an incident that he hoped to forget.
The suspect was released without further incident.
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Accident
(transportation) A collision or crash of a vehicle, aircraft, or other form of transportation that causes damage to the transportation involved; and sometimes injury or death to the transportation's occupants or bystanders in close proximity.
There was a huge accident on I5 involving 15 automobiles.
My insurance went up after the second accident in three months.
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Incident
A (relatively minor) event that is incidental to, or related to others.
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Incident
An event that causes or may cause an interruption or a crisis, such as a workplace illness or a software error.
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Accident
Any property, fact, or relation that is the result of chance or is nonessential or nonsubstantive.
Beauty is an accident.
Lexical gaps are called accidental because their existence is by accident; it is not essential.
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Incident
Falling on or striking a surface.
The incident light illuminated the surface.
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Accident
(grammar) A property attached to a word, but not essential to it, such as gender, number, or case.
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Incident
Coming or happening accidentally; not in the usual course of things; not in connection with the main design; not according to expectation; casual; fortuitous.
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Incident
Liable to happen; apt to occur; befalling; hence, naturally happening or appertaining.
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Incident
(legal) Dependent upon, or appertaining to, another thing, called the principal.
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Incident
Falling or striking upon, as a ray of light upon a reflecting surface.
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Accident
A person born from an unintended pregnancy.
Taylor was our sweet little accident, and we're so glad!
Well I may be annoying but at least I'm not an accident like you are
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Incident
Coming or happening accidentally; not in the usual course of things; not in connection with the main design; not according to expectation; casual; fortuitous.
As the ordinary course of common affairs is disposed of by general laws, so likewise men's rarer incident necessities and utilities should be with special equity considered.
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Incident
Liable to happen; apt to occur; befalling; hence, naturally happening or appertaining.
All chances incident to man's frail life.
The studies incident to his profession.
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Accident
(geology) A sudden discontinuity of ground such as fault of great thickness, bed or lentil of unstable ground.{{cite book|
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Incident
Dependent upon, or appertaining to, another thing, called the principal.
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Accident
(heraldry) A point or mark which may be retained or omitted in a coat of arms.
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Incident
That which falls out or takes place; an event; casualty; occurrence.
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Accident
(transportation) Designating any form of transportation involved in an accident.
The NTSB report revealed that the accident airplane was a Cessna 172.
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Incident
That which happens aside from the main design; an accidental or subordinate action or event.
No person, no incident, in a play but must be of use to carry on the main design.
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Accident
Literally, a befalling; an event that takes place without one's foresight or expectation; an undesigned, sudden, and unexpected event; chance; contingency; often, an undesigned and unforeseen occurrence of an afflictive or unfortunate character; a casualty; a mishap; as, to die by an accident.
Of moving accidents by flood and field.
Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident:It is the very place God meant for thee.
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Incident
Something appertaining to, passing with, or depending on, another, called the principal.
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Accident
A property attached to a word, but not essential to it, as gender, number, case.
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Accident
A point or mark which may be retained or omitted in a coat of arms.
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Incident
A public disturbance;
The police investigated an incident at the bus station
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Accident
A property or quality of a thing which is not essential to it, as whiteness in paper; an attribute.
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Accident
Any accidental property, fact, or relation; an accidental or nonessential; as, beauty is an accident.
This accident, as I call it, of Athens being situated some miles from the sea.
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Incident
(sometimes followed by `to') minor or casual or subordinate in significance or nature or occurring as a chance concomitant or consequence;
Incidental expenses
The road will bring other incidental advantages
Extra duties incidental to the job
Labor problems incidental to a rapid expansion
Confusion incidental to a quick change
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Incident
Incident can imply a disruptive or unexpected event in various contexts.
The power outage was an incident that affected the entire neighborhood.
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Incident
Incident is often used in formal or technical language to describe an event.
The incident report detailed the sequence of events during the emergency.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
Do accidents imply negligence?
Accidents can imply negligence, but not necessarily.
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What typically causes an accident?
Accidents are typically caused by unforeseen or unintended factors.
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Are accidents always harmful?
Accidents usually involve some form of harm or damage.
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Can an incident be a minor event?
Yes, incidents can range from minor to major events.
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Do incidents require formal reporting?
Incidents often require formal reporting, especially in organizational or technical contexts.
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Are all accidents unintentional?
Accidents are generally unintentional, though there can be exceptions.
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How broad is the term incident?
Incident is a broad term covering any significant event.
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Is an incident always a negative event?
No, incidents can be neutral or even positive.
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Can incidents lead to legal action?
Yes, certain incidents can lead to legal action, especially if they involve harm or breach of duty.
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Are car crashes considered accidents or incidents?
Car crashes are typically considered accidents.
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Is a natural disaster an accident or incident?
Natural disasters are typically referred to as incidents.
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Can workplace mishaps be called accidents?
Yes, workplace mishaps are often called accidents.
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Is a data breach an accident or incident?
A data breach is more accurately described as an incident.
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Is the word accident used in insurance claims?
Yes, accident is commonly used in insurance claims.
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What's an example of a positive incident?
A surprise celebration could be considered a positive incident.
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Can accidents result in legal liabilities?
Accidents can result in legal liabilities, especially if due to negligence.
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Are incidents always recorded in business settings?
In business settings, most significant incidents are recorded for accountability and improvement purposes.
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Can an accident be preventable?
Many accidents are preventable with proper safety measures.
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Can an incident escalate to an emergency?
Yes, certain incidents can escalate into emergencies.
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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