noun
(a) something which happens by chance; I met her by accident at the bus stop
(b) unpleasant event which happens suddenly and harms someone's health; she had an accident in the kitchen and had to go to hospital; three people were killed in the accident on the motorway
accident and emergency department (A & E) = department of a hospital which deals with accidents and emergency cases
accident prevention = taking steps to prevent accidents from happening
accident ward = ward in a hospital for victims of accidents