Here is an example to help explain "What is Negligence?":
Carlos is practicing his soccer moves in a field near his home when he steps on a board covering an old well. The board breaks and Carlos falls into the well, breaking his leg and injuring his back. He's unable to play soccer for the rest of the season. As a result of this he can't win a scholarship to university. What can Carlos do? Was this accident preventable? Who's responsible? Can Carlos be compensated for his lost scholarship? For his possibly ruined soccer career? If so, who will determine how much the compensation should be?

Questions like these are part of the area of law known as negligence. In negligence cases, the courts listen to the evidence and then have to decide who was responsible for what happened. If the owner of the property is found to be responsible for Carlos' injury, the court then has to decide how Carlos can be compensated.

Lesson 1: Negligence - A First Look

In the introduction to this section, you were told about Carlos and how he injured himself by falling through a rotten board that covered an old well. Carlos was counting on a soccer scholarship to pay for his university education, but after the accident he can't compete for it.