In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears –

action includes a counter-claim and proceedings by way of arbitration;

court , used in relation to a claim, means the court before which the claim falls to be determined, and, except in subsections (6) and (7) of section three, includes an arbitrator before whom the claim falls to be determined;

damage includes loss of life, personal injury, damage to property, economic loss and loss of any other kind;

dependant means a person for whose benefit an action could be brought under the Fatal Accidents Act 1934 ;

plaintiff includes a defendant who counter-claims;

wrongful act means an act or omission that –

(a) gives rise to a liability in tort or would, if it caused damage to another person, give rise to a liability in tort; or

(b) amounts to a breach of a contractual duty of care that is concurrent and co-extensive with a duty of care in tort; or

(c) amounts to a breach of a statutory duty –

and includes an act or omission on the part of a person suffering damage that causes or contributes to the damage and that constitutes a failure on the part of that person to take reasonable care for the protection of his or her person or property.