在阅读原版英文法律资料时，经常会碰一些外来词，感觉就像吃饭时突然嚼到一粒石头，对付这类词的办法只能是求助词典和靠平量的积累，今天我们就来讲一讲在阅读侵权法资料时经常碰到的这个词：res ipsa loquitur，当然，这个词也经常被律师在法庭上引用。

res ipsa loquitur

拉丁语：“事实自证”（规则）

是指在缺乏充分证明的情况下让事实自己说话；这时举证责任转移至被告。他必须证明，如果没有他的过失，事故也会发生。英国仅在过失法中使用这一规则，美国有的法院也将其适用于严格责任案件。

A Latin term meaning "the thing speaks for itself.（事情不言自明）" Res ipsa loquitur is a legal doctrine or rule of evidence that creates a presumption that a defendant acted negligently simply because a harmful accident occurred. The presumption arises only if （1） the thing that caused the accident was under the defendant's control， （2） the accident could happen only as a result of a careless act and， （3） the plaintiff's behavior did not contribute to the accident. Lawyers often refer to this doctrine as "res ips" or "res ipsa."

举例：

Example： Aardvark Construction company is erecting an office building. During the lunch hour， one of Aardvark's cranes drops a steel beam on Hilda's car， which is legally parked on the street near the construction site. Under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur， Aardvark is presumed liable for the damage to the car