NC · jury_instructions
N.C.P.I.—Civil 102.15
NEGLIGENCE ISSUE -DOCTRINE OF SUDDEN EMERGENCY.
Persons who, through no negligence of their own, are suddenly and
unexpectedly confronted with imminent danger2 to themselves or to
others, whether actual or apparent, are not required to use the same
judgment that would be required if there were more time to make a
decision. A person's duty is to use that degree of care which a reasonable
and prudent person would use under the same or similar circumstances.
If, in a moment of sudden emergency, a person makes a decision that a
reasonable and prudent person would make under the same or similar
circumstances, they do all that the law requires, even if in hindsight
some different decision would have been better or safer.3
History
N.C.P.I.—Civil 102.15 (Replacement February 2022). Prepared by the North Carolina Conference of Superior Court Judges' Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions, assisted by the UNC School of Government; published by the School of Government.
Provenance
- Source
- sog.unc.edu
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-24
- Edition
- 2026-09-24
- Content hash
605f6a2b9593f5106ac095867c0bf5e7caa04d96d683041ee24c7b9a14422dfc
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