Difference Between Incident and Accident
The words ‘accident and Incident’ are often confuse people in their use. There is difference between the two.
‘Incident’ denotes a happening taking place and attracting people’s attention. ‘Accident’ on the other hand expresses ‘an happening which has taken place all of a sudden, however it attract the attention of people too.
An incident is not dangerous as there is no loss of life and property in it. An accident is a dangerous situation in which people may be killed and the loss of property may invole, for example, a car accident. This is the major difference between the two words.
an accidend may attract the attention of the people around the site of an accident and through the media. Sometime the word ‘accident’ may refer to an incident taking place unexpetedly. For example, I came across her by accident. In this sentence a person meets a woman by chance.
See the sentences:
There was an accident on the highway during the night.
The incident left me happy.
‘Accident’ in the first sentence conveys the sense of a happening that occurred during night. On the other hand second sentence conveys the incident which was a very good and enjoyable experience. The event in the second sentence may be a love affair or a party etc.
It should be kept in mind that the word ‘accident’ can be used in phrases such as ‘by accident’. ‘Accidentally’ is an adverb derived from the noun ‘accident’. The adverbial form of ‘incident’ is ‘incidentally’. So we understand the difference between ‘incident’ and ‘accident’.