a very bad accident: disaster a nuclear disaster the Clapham rail disaster (= a train accident at a place called Clapham)

Transcription

1 accident 1 accidents in general 2 crashes 3 after an accident 1 accidents in general an unpleasant event that happens unexpectedly and causes damage, injury or death: accident I saw a really bad accident (= traffic accident) on my way home from work today. to have a nasty/serious accident She was involved in a serious accident at work. a very bad accident: disaster a nuclear disaster the Clapham rail disaster (= a train accident at a place called Clapham) if you frequently have accidents, you are accident-prone I ve never known anybody so accident-prone - yesterday she fell down the stairs and today she trod on some broken glass. to stop an accident happening: prevent sth; noun (U): prevention People need to be taught how to prevent accidents. a kind of contract (= written agreement) in which, in return for regular payment, a company agrees to pay you a sum of money in case you lose sth, become ill, die, etc: insurance (against sth) (noun U) motor insurance accident insurance 2 crashes to have an accident in a vehicle: crash (sth); noun: crash All of a sudden, I realized we were going to crash. Mum, Dad, I m sorry I ve crashed the car. We were held up by a crash on the motorway. a train/plane crash to touch sb or sth with a lot of force: hit sb/sth He was hit by a lorry as he was crossing the road. to hit sth by accident when you are moving: bump against/into sth I wasn t looking where I was going and bumped into the door. to move with great force into/against/through sth: crash/smash into/against/through sth The car skidded and smashed through the shop window. an accident in which two people or things hit each other violently: collision; verb: collide (with sb/sth) I collided with another pedestrian as I ran down the street.

2 with the front of one car, etc hitting the front of another: head-on (adjective, adverb) She was involved in a head-on collision with another car. We collided head-on. a crash that involves several cars, etc: pile-up There was a big pile-up involving two lorries and four cars on the M4 last week. to turn over so that the top is at the bottom: overturn The car hit the lorry and then overturned. to hit sb with a car: run sb over, knock sb down A car came speeding round the corner and knocked down an old lady who was crossing the road. a driver who knocks sb down and does not stop to see if they are hurt: hitand-run driver; an accident where this happens: hit-and-run accident The police are looking for a young man after a hit-and-run accident last night. when a train comes off the railway track, it is derailed a train crash in which a train comes off the track: derailment when an aircraft falls from the sky, it crashes, comes down The plane ran out of fuel and came down in the sea. 3 after an accident damage to make sth useless or not as good as before: damage sth; the effect of damaging sth: damage (noun U) a hollow place in the surface of sth that is the result of sth hitting it hard: dent; verb: dent sth I bumped into a lamp post in my car and dented the bonnet. injury pieces from sth that has crashed or been destroyed: debris (noun U) Debris was scattered right across the road. physical damage caused to a person or animal, especially in an accident: injury (noun C/U) Ten people were taken to hospital with serious injuries. a condition of extreme weakness caused by damage to the body or by seeing or being part of a bad accident: shock (noun U); suffering from shock: in shock Nobody was hurt as a result of the accident but three people were being treated for shock. a person who is killed or seriously injured in an accident: casualty It was a serious accident, with numerous casualties. the casualty list (= the list of people hurt in an accident)

3 help to save sb/sth from sth that is dangerous or unpleasant: rescue sb/sth (from sb/sth); noun: rescue; a person who does this: rescuer Five men have been rescued from a blazing oil platform. I want to thank my rescuers. the official services (fire, police and ambulance) that give help after an accident: the rescue services a special motor vehicle for taking injured people to and from hospital: ambulance a piece of cloth supported by two poles that is used for carrying a person who has been injured in an accident: stretcher a person who has had special training in caring for people who are ill or hurt; they often travel in ambulances and go to people injured in an accident: paramedic a way of restoring sb s breath to save their life after a bad accident: kiss of life He was pulled out of the water and given the kiss of life. Word origin accident late Middle English (in the general sense an event): via Old French from Latin accident- happening, from the verb accidere, from ad- towards, to + cadere to fall. Example phrases a car / road / traffic accident a climbing /riding accident a fatal accident (= in which sb is killed) a serious / minor accident an accident of birth / fate / history (= describing facts and events that are due to chance or circumstances) by accident to have an accident accident and emergency the hospital accident and emergency department an automobile accident innocent bystanders at the scene of the accident a car accident / crash accident cover a dreadful accident a freak accident an accident on the freeway a frightful accident 100 metres from the scene of the accident a gory accident a hit-and-run accident an industrial accident a motor / motorcycle accident a nasty accident accident prevention the scene of the accident accident victims

4 Example sentences The court absolved him of all responsibility for the accident. He was killed in an accident. Helen got into acting purely by accident. I didn t mean to break it it was an accident. It is no accident that men fill most of the top jobs in nursing. Take out accident insurance before you go on your trip. The accident happened at 3 p.m. Their early arrival was just an accident. We met by accident at the airport. Your account of the accident does not agree with hers. An accident can happen anywhere. The accident could have been avoided. She broke her back in a riding accident. Two days after the accident she still looked pretty banged up. The accident is behind you now, so try to forget it. Yes, I know it was an accident, but that s beside the point. She had a blackout and couldn t remember anything about the accident. That corner is a notorious accident black spot. (= a lot of accidents happen there) Police are blaming the accident on dangerous driving. Which driver was the blame for the accident? He lost a lot of blood in the accident. He survived the accident with no broken bones. The accident happened where the road branches. Both drivers were breathalysed at the scene of the accident. The most serious cases were treated at the scene of the accident. He showed a great character returning to the sport after his accident. Under the circumstances, it seemed better not to tell him about the accident. It was several hours before the road was cleared after the accident. The traffic took a long time to clear after the accident. Can you tell me how the accident came about? Police have asked witnesses of the accident to come forward. They could not say with confidence that he would be able to walk again after the accident. He was confined to a wheelchair after the accident. Who do you consider (to be) responsible for the accident. A car accident consigned him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. It is our client s contention that the fire was an accident. A Board of Inquiry was convened immediately after the accident. He copped all the hassle after the accident. The accident cost me a visit to the doctor. Several people were crushed to death in the accident. After the accident I spent six months on crutches. He had his finger cut off in an accident at work. They were deeply disturbed by the accident. It happened whether by accident or design that the two of them were left alone after all the others had gone. An inquiry was set up to determine the cause of the accident. He received devastating injuries in the accident. He was disabled in a car accident. The report discloses that human error was to blame for the accident. He dislocated his shoulder in the accident. The cause of the accident was still in dispute. (= being argued about) We can draw some lessons for the future from this accident. The crowd drifted away from the scene of the accident. The newspapers provided little enlightenment about the cause of the accident. Police are still trying to establish the cause of the accident. In the event of an accident, call this number.

5 What happened just before the accident was expunged from his memory. She suffered extensive injuries in the accident. He arranged the accident in order to fake his own death. Driver fatigue was to blame for the accident. After the accident she didn t feel up to driving. He s still fighting for compensation after the accident. The accident was captured/caught on film. I remember little of the days that followed the accident. The accident was my fault it would be foolish to pretend otherwise. She had had the foresight to prepare herself financially in case of an accident. They had to be cut free from their car after the accident. Traffic is now moving more freely following an earlier accident. She had fully recovered from the accident. The gun went off by accident. The accident left him physically handicapped. The accident could have been much worse; luckily no harm was done. She ll have an accident one day. I was sorry to hear about your accident. An accident is holding up traffic. The full horror of the accident was beginning to become clear. She only remembered details of the accident under hypnosis. The car was impounded by the police after the accident. The accident was the result of a moment s inattention. The police have completed their investigation into the accident. The accident happened as the jet was about to take off. The accident was caused by an error of judgement on the part of the pilot. The accident taught me a lesson I ll never forget. After his accident he was moved to lighter work. She was worried that he might have met with an accident. He suffered loss of memory for weeks after the accident. When did the accident happen? It was the Monday (= the Monday of the week we are talking about). He felt morally responsible for the accident. It had more the appearance of a deliberate crime than of an accident. The accident was caused by negligence on the part of the driver. News of a serious road accident is just coming in. The accident happened on Friday night. He still has nightmares about the accident. She had an accident. Oh, no! He was still in a state of numbness and shock from the accident. First check that the accident victim doesn t have an obstructed airway. An official inquiry has been launched into the cause of the accident. The government has ordered an investigation into the accident. News of the accident overshadowed the day s events. The accident happened through no fault of her own. The accident left him paralysed from the waist down. He was only partly responsible for the accident. Police asked passers-by if they had seen the accident. The accident has not done any permanent damage. The accident was caused by pilot error. It s not clear precisely how the accident happened. Presumably this is where the accident happened. The accident could have been prevented. He had already made provisions for (= planned for the financial future of) his wife and children before the accident. The accident put her off driving for life. He questioned whether the accident was solely the truck driver s fault. He s bound to feel shaken after his accident. Quite. I read about the accident in the local paper. This accident could have produced a real tragedy.

6 Police have released no further details about the accident. You had an accident, he reminded her. The police replayed footage of the accident over and over again. Have you reported the accident to the police yet? The roof of the car was not damaged in the accident. Police roped off the street to investigate the accident. Three weeks after the accident he was back in the saddle. The accident was a salutary reminder of the gangers of climbing. To save his own skin, he lied and blamed the accident on his friend. It s hard to say what caused the accident. Details of the accident are scarce. The accident really shook her up. Her memories of the accident are a little shaky. What sort of shape was the car in after the accident? Both drivers shared the blame for the accident. After the accident his nerves were shot to pieces. Just think about the accident makes me shudder. The accident snarled up the traffic all day. The accident was due to excessive speed. We must stick to our story about the accident. When did this supposed accident happen? It only takes one careless driver to cause an accident. Why wasn t I told about the accident? There was an accident here yesterday. A car hit a tree and the driver was killed. Has there been an accident? The accident happened through no fault of mine. I ve been driving for over 20 years and never had an accident-touch wood! He was killed in a tragic accident at the age of 24. Tragically, he was killed in a car accident. The company has announced that it will undertake a full investigation into the accident. It was an unfortunate accident. He lost the use of his legs (= became unable to walk) in an accident. Anti-nuclear protesters regarded the Chernobyl accident as a clear vindication of their campaign. This is the first time I ve sat behind the wheel since the accident. He s been confined to a wheelchair since the accident. Pilot error, to wit failure to follow procedures, was the cause of the accident. Police have appealed for witnesses to the accident.