Res Ipsa Loquitur

Res ipsa loquitur is a legal principle that means "the thing speaks for itself." It applies in negligence cases where the cause of an accident or injury is obvious, and no direct evidence shows what specifically went wrong. For example, if a surgical instrument is left inside a patient after surgery, the situation itself implies negligence because such an event generally does not happen without carelessness. This principle allows courts to infer that negligence occurred, even if the exact details are unclear, shifting the burden of proof to the defendant to explain how the incident happened.