Opinion ID: 853547
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Survival Instruction

Text: Defendants assert that the trial court instruction regarding survival actions misstated the law. The instruction read: If you determine that the Defendant's negligence was not a substantial factor in Mr. Cummings' death, but the Defendant's negligence increased the risk of harm to Mr. Cummings by reducing his opportunity for a better result, and that increased risk was a substantial factor in that harm, then you should award such damages as will fairly compensate the Plaintiff for the harm sustained. Harm may be the loss of opportunity for cure, decreased short-term survival, or unnecessary physical pain and mental suffering. [Joann] Cummings is also entitled to be compensated for her loss of consortium.... The most striking aspect of this jury instruction is its inclusion of damages for loss of chance in the survival action. Plaintiff's counsel argued, over the objection of defense counsel, that the loss of chance itself was compensable, and the trial court allowed the instruction. This Court recently had occasion to address the loss of chance, or increased risk of harm doctrine, in Alexander v. Scheid, 726 N.E.2d 272 (Ind.2000). Scheid involved a plaintiff whose chances of long-term survival were allegedly substantially decreased by the defendant's negligence, but whose cancer was in remission at the time of suit. In Scheid, this Court reviewed the loss of chance doctrine as it has been applied in other jurisdictions and concluded that a plaintiff may recover in Indiana for the increased risk of harm caused by the defendant's act or omission in certain circumstances. We distinguished between Section 323, which was adopted in Mayhue to deal with claims for increased risk for an injury that has been incurred, and the situation presented in Scheid, where, although the risk had been increased, the plaintiff's ultimate injury was uncertain. In the face of that uncertainty, we held that the plaintiff may recover for her decreased chance of long-term survival, and is not required to wait until the ultimate injury comes to pass. See id. at 277-78. The survival statute precludes recovery on both a wrongful death claim and a survival claim. See Ind.Code § 34-9-3-4 (1998) (the Survival of Cause of Action statute applies only if the person receives personal injuries caused by the wrongful act or omission of another and ... subsequently dies from causes other than those personal injuries). Accordingly, a plaintiff cannot recover on both a wrongful death claim and a claim of an increased risk of harm caused by the same wrong. If the alleged result of the defendant's acts that increase the risk of harm is death itself, this converts the patient's claim into a wrongful death or related action, as in Mayhue. That is the circumstance here. It is possible, however, for a representative to bring a survival action on an increased risk of harm claim even where the plaintiff has died, if the death resulted from another cause. In the case before us, assuming the jury found that the defendant's negligence was not a substantial factor in bringing about Cummings' death, for example, because that risk was already 100%, the jury might still conclude that the delay in the diagnosis resulted in an accelerated death, or a decreased life expectancy. Whether that claim is of sufficient value to pursue is a decision for the plaintiff. A valuation of this injury as outlined in Scheid would then be appropriate. See 726 N.E.2d at 282-83. Thus, the instruction on the survival action, albeit unclear, did not contain an erroneous statement of law. On remand, if the theory remains in the case, the parties should attempt to clarify this instruction sufficiently for the jury.