JD Next Practice Exam

The scenario where a person witnesses a traumatic event caused by another can indeed lead to a claim of negligent infliction of emotional distress. This legal concept generally applies when an individual experiences severe emotional distress as a result of witnessing an event that causes injury or harm to another person, particularly if the witness has a close relationship with the victim.

In this case, the emotional impact on the bystander can be substantial, especially if the witnessed event was violent or otherwise disturbing. For the courts to recognize this claim, it often needs to be established that the distress was a direct result of the negligent actions of the party who caused the harm, and that the witness's experience was not just an incidental or peripheral observation.

Other scenarios provided, while they may entail distress or harm, do not fit the specific criteria for negligent infliction of emotional distress. A car accident due to driver negligence typically involves a direct injury to the parties involved rather than emotional distress from witnessing an event. Contract breaches, although they can cause financial distress, do not pertain to emotional harm stemming from witnessing a traumatic incident. Lastly, intentionally causing someone to feel stress falls into a different category, often associated with intentional infliction of emotional distress rather than negligence.