Reply #26: Reminds me of those referring to terrorist acts as "accidents" .....

[hlthe2b]

something I encountered during time spent in Egypt. It may just be an idiosyncrasy in translation to refer as an accident, rather than an "incident", but it was always jarring to hear intentional acts of endangerment referred to in this way.

Similarly in your use of the term, not all accidents are the same. Some point to high degree of culpability on someone's part, some are highly preventable, and others reflect an extreme level of irresponsibility. A child picking up an unlocked gun and firing it is an "accident." The adult who left it unlocked and available to the child was culpable. His act, was far more than a "mere accident." Arguably, so to would be the person who failed to ensure the gun was unloaded before cleaning, knowing there were people around.