Is 911 accident or incident?

Status
Not open for further replies.

keannu

VIP Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Korean
Home Country
South Korea
Current Location
South Korea
I'm not trying to touch a nerve, it might seem a bad example, so if you tell me it's bad, I will delete it.

I learned that accident is something coincidental that you didn't intend, while incident is something intended on purpose by a criminal or an attacker.
So most car accidents are called not car incidents as most of them were not intended. If 911 was intended by the terrorist, then it's called an incident, but from the victims' point of view, as they didn't intend it, it could be called an accident from their position.

If you had an event that is harmful damaging you but that was intended not by you but by the attacker, do you call it accident or incident?
 

SoothingDave

VIP Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
If you are talking about the terrorist attacks on September 11, you are correct. They were not an accident. I am not sure why you think they would be called an accident. The victim of such an attack would not call it an "accident" either.
 

Coolfootluke

Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2011
Member Type
Other
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
I am not a teacher.

When we say "car accident", the word "accident" retains most of its literal meaning. An accident happens, well, by accident, not on purpose.
 

Raymott

VIP Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
Australia
Current Location
Australia
If you are talking about the terrorist attacks on September 11, you are correct. They were not an accident. I am not sure why you think they would be called an accident. The victim of such an attack would not call it an "accident" either.
I'm pretty sure they wouldn't call it an incident either. 'Atrocity' might work.
I think keannu has learnt the wrong definition of "incident", which I would normally apply mostly to trivial things. Not every bad thing that happens needs to be classified as either "accident" or "incident".
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top