Under what circumstances can a person not be guilty of a crime committed by misfortune?

A person cannot be guilty of a crime committed by misfortune in circumstances where the act was an accident with no criminal intent. This means that if the individual did not intend to cause harm or break the law, and the action was genuinely accidental, then they typically cannot be held criminally liable for the incident.

In legal terms, criminal liability often requires that a person has both the intent to commit a crime (mens rea) and the execution of that crime (actus reus). When an act occurs purely by accident without any intention to cause harm or engage in a wrongful act, this absence of intent supports the argument that the person should not be held criminally responsible.

In contrast, if there is evidence of a criminal scheme or intention involved, or if negligence can be proven, it indicates a level of culpability that could lead to criminal charges. The distinction between an accident and intentional wrongdoing is critical in determining guilt in criminal law.