General Insurance✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 1/5
A driver negligently runs a red light and injures a pedestrian. The injured pedestrian's right to recover damages arises primarily under:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
A tort is a civil wrong for which the law provides a remedy, and negligence is the most common tort. The duty to drive with reasonable care is imposed by law on all persons — it does not arise from any agreement between the driver and the pedestrian. When the driver breaches that duty and causes injury, the pedestrian has a tort claim for damages. Contract obligations, by contrast, arise from the parties' own agreements, which do not exist between these strangers.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) The driver and pedestrian have no contract; the duty of care is imposed by law, which makes this a tort, not a breach of contract.
- C) Criminal law concerns offenses against the state; the pedestrian's remedy is a civil tort claim for damages, not a criminal filing.
- D) The pedestrian's own policy is irrelevant to the claim against the negligent driver; liability follows the wrongdoer's negligence.
Memory hook
Tort = wrong against you, duty from the law. No contract, no promise — just careless driving.