Misadventure

An accident by which an injury occurs to another.

When applied to homicide, misadventure is the act of a man who, in the performance of a lawful act, without any intention to do harm, and after using proper precaution to prevent danger, unfortunately kills another person. The act upon which the death ensues, must be neither malum in se, nor malum prohibitum. The usual examples uuder this head are, 1. When the death ensues from innocent recreations. 2. From moderate and lawful correction in foro domestico. 3. From acts lawful and indifferent in themselves, done with proper and ordinary caution.
   

This entry contains material from Bouvier's Legal Dictionary, a work published in the 1850's.