injurer

An injurer is a person or entity that causes injury to another person through action or omission. The term is generic and is used in everyday language, as well as in some legal discussions, to identify the party responsible for harm. Injury can be physical, emotional, financial, or property damage.

In civil law, the injurer may face liability for the injuries caused, with the extent of liability depending on fault, causation, and damages. Most systems require a duty of care, a breach of that duty, a causal link to the injury, and actual damages. The injurer may be liable whether the harm was intentional or negligent, though standards of fault and defenses vary. In formal pleadings, the injurer is more commonly described as the tortfeasor or wrongdoer, while the generic term injurer remains common in non-technical language. In criminal law, an injurer can be the offender or perpetrator, though criminal distinctions select terms like defendant or accused depending on procedure.

Common contexts include traffic accidents, workplace injuries, product liability, and professional malpractice. For example, a driver who injures a pedestrian, a manufacturer that releases a defective product, or a clinician whose actions cause iatrogenic injury may be described as injurers in explanatory writing or casual discussion. The concept is closely related to, but broader than, terms such as fault, liability, and causation.

Etymology: from injury + -er; related terms: tortfeasor, culpable party.