Opinion ID: 2305897
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Loss of Chance

Text: We adopted the doctrine of loss of chance of survival in United States v. Anderson. [4] This doctrine permits a plaintiff to recover damages for the diminution of that person's chance of survival, where that diminution was caused by the negligence of a defendant, even though the person already had a greater than fifty percent probability of not surviving. [5] An important distinction is that [i]f an injury is suffered in the loss of chance situation, it is the reduced possibility of survival which is the basis of the claim, not the death itself. [6] In Anderson, we explained that the purpose behind the doctrine of loss of chance of survival was both to compensate innocent victims of negligence and to prevent tortfeasors from get[ting] off scot-free because instead of killing his victim outright he inflicts an injury that is likely though not certain to shorten the victim's life. [7] We did not hold that a plaintiff must present evidence of the precise statistical percentage of the lost chance of survival. Instead, we held that it was sufficient for the plaintiff to show that the chance of survival was reduced as a consequence of the defendant's negligence. [8]