What legal term describes an action that results in unintended injury to a person?

The legal term that describes an action resulting in unintended injury to a person is negligence. Negligence occurs when an individual fails to take reasonable care, which then leads to harm or injury to another person. This failure to act with the appropriate standard of care can manifest in various situations, such as in healthcare where a medication aide might not follow protocols that result in a patient being harmed unintentionally.

Negligence emphasizes the idea that the injury caused was unintentional and that the responsible party did not intend to cause harm. Instead, it highlights a lack of due diligence or caution that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise in similar circumstances.

In contrast, terms like battery and assault are associated with intentional actions that lead to harm or the risk of harm. Malpractice refers specifically to a professional's failure to adhere to established standards of their profession, resulting in harm to a patient or client, but it does so with an element of negligence also present. Thus, while malpractice connects to neglectful actions within a professional context, negligence broadly refers to carelessness that leads to unintended injury. In summary, negligence is the most fitting term for actions resulting in unintentional harm.