I really couldn’t believe how victims of medical malpractice were treated when I first started producing settlement documentaries and day in the life videos for legal cases. Up until now, if your loved one was killed because their doctor made a critical mistake, their life was only worth $250,000 if you sued the doctor, nurse or hospital. That’s it! Thanks to caps on damages that Colorado voters passed back in the 1980’s.
The insurance companies did a great job convincing voters that caps would be good for Colorado. That it would somehow save money in insurance payouts and that saving would be passed on to you. I don’t know anyone who paid less insurance as a result. In fact, my insurance has gone up every year. But I do know a lot of people –too many people in Colorado –who had a loved one stolen from them due to the negligence of others, and due to the caps, they couldn’t even find a lawyer who would take the case.
You might be thinking, “why do you need money after a loved one is killed by medical malpractice? If that loved one was the bread winner, there is no one to support the family anymore. Think about the emotional pain of suddenly losing your spouse or parent. The survivors often need financial and emotional support. Wrongful death shatters a family.
In most other states, wrongful death cases are worth millions. Here in Colorado, your case is worth more if you break some bones in a car crash. I always thought Coloradans were getting a raw deal.
That’s why I was so relieved to read Colorado governor Jared Polis signed a new law that raises the cap for victims of wrongful death due to negligence from a couple hundred thousand to a couple a million.
The law doesn’t take effect until 2025.
Still, it means Coloradans will finally have a chance to receive financial justice. Doctors, nurses, medical staff and the hospitals they work for will be punished in the pocketbook for making mistakes that cost lives.
No amount of money can replace someone you love, not now, not ever. But Colorado’s cap was salt in the wound for so many families.
