A patient undergoes a routine CT scan with IV contrast in th…
A patient undergoes a routine CT scan with IV contrast in the hospital’s radiology department. During the scan, the patient—who was properly positioned and sedated—suffers a severe burn on the abdomen from a heating malfunction in the CT table. The burn occurs inside the scanner, on equipment fully controlled by the radiology staff, and the patient had no ability to cause or contribute to the injury. There were no witnesses who saw exactly what happened. The patient brings a lawsuit, but cannot identify the precise negligent act. Which legal doctrine best allows the case to proceed based on the fact that this type of injury ordinarily does not occur without negligence?