NC · jury_instructions
N.C.P.I.—Civil 870.20
"ACCIDENTAL MEANS" DEFINITION.
An [injury] [death] results from accidental means when the sole
cause2 of it is unusual, unforeseeable and unexpected. "Accidental
means" refers to the occurrence or happening which produces the result,
not the result itself. An intentional act that produces an unusual or
unexpected result, with no mischance, slip or mishap occurring, is not
caused by accidental means.3 The emphasis is upon the accidental
nature of the cause of the [injury] [death], that is, whether the
occurrence or happening was unusual, unforeseeable, unexpected, and
the sole cause of the [injury] [death].4
History
N.C.P.I.—Civil 870.20 (May 2005). 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
d7fc1688fbd3ac18df0e02c2e0008e80049541f908e63ad313ee159dbd437b11
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