Well, he just couldn't find the back door to sneak out of. :P

Waaay tl;dr o.o

Sorry #73. Like I said just had to say it. ;)

#70, sure, there are stories of frivolous lawsuits, but there are many lawsuits that do have merit. While taking cases on contingency appears corrupt, most lawyers are not going to waste their time on baseless lawsuits. I've been the victim of malpractice twice. The first time, the problem caused by my doctor's error only lasted a week or so, the second problem, finding a doctor's error was the cause of what appeared to be a disease, was only was discovered years after it occurred. I didn't sue either time. Doctors make mistakes, and many of them are from a blatant disregard from the "standard of care." They need to be held accountable for these kind of mistakes, and lawsuits seem to be the most effective way to prevent errors.

@70 I agree with what you just said. I don't get the whole "sue this, sue that" situation. Maybe that's because I'm Dutch and am not familiair with the American system. Over here it costs money to sue people. That way people won't sue over silly things like the hot tea part in your comment and people will only sue if it's really serious. Also, I think some people don't care if it costs another person money, as long as they win.

There are real lives on the injured side that have to make ends meet, too. No matter how apologetic the ambulance team may have been (or how urgent their incoming patient), OP now has bills, pain, and potential loss of work for another injury. A lawyer shouldn't necessarily be the first recourse, and if there is an eventual lawsuit it likely shouldn't be for a gazillion dollars. However, the new injury's costs should probably be covered not by the OP but by the ambulance team's and/or hospital's insurance.

#79 - I agree with you. If mistakes are honest and are inadvertent, then cut them some slack. If it is deliberate or gross negligence, then that is what the legal system is for. A lot of malpractice cases in my experience get chucked out in court because of lack of merit. But it takes 2-5 years and agonizing depositions and trials to get there. Not a pleasant experience if it truly was an honest mistake.

#80 - yes it is an American thing... No other country is as sue happy. #83 - I completely agree with you. The new medical bills and loss of work should definitely be covered because it wasn't the fault of the injured as well. But when you start erring into the "punitive damages" and one mil for mental agony.. I got a problem with that. It is that that drives up the cost of the entire system. Not the suits that pay 10000 bucks.

*erring = getting

A few things though,we don't know what entrance op was going through.It could have been the emergency room entrance.If so,op should have expected emergency medical personell(however that's spelled) to come barging in.I'm sure the hospital would have an out-patient exit,at least that's what hospitals I go to have.That being the case,she wouldn't win because they would ask what she's doing in the emergency entrance anyway.But that's all speculation on my part.

#90 - well, it depends. I have worked in three hospitals where the entrance/exit was the same for patients and ambulances... So I guess it would depend on the lay out of the ER

92,I've gone to 3 hospitals,they have a regular outpatient entrance/exit and an ER entrance on opposite sides and I've gone through both.I guess you're right,depends on the layout.

also,if some lady ordered hot tea,shouldn't she expect it to be oh, I don't know..hot? so it's her own fault for sticking her fingers in hot tea.

Man, I think it's mainly a matter of insurance there. OP might not have the money to face the expenses occurring with a broken arm and ankle. By the look of it, he will have to go around in a wheelchair for some time since he cannot use crutches. That and he will probably need medical assistance (imagine pushing a wheelchair or going about your everyday life with one arm and one leg). So yes, I would recommend to sue, not out of revenge but at least to cover his bills.

#96 - Paying medical bills and stuff is one thing. But suing to make stinking amounts of money so that you can live comfortably for the rest of your life whiteout having to earn an honest dollar is something else. I agree. OP needs to be covered for bills and stuff. Totally. But that can be settled without a court or a lawsuit. Most hospitals will be happy to settle that out of court. But don't sue for additional money in the hundreds of thousands or millions for so called mental agony and punitive damages.