This statistic gets bandied about every now and then and is completely indefensible. Extrapolation is hardly proof and the CDC statistics don't begin to validat

This statistic gets bandied about every now and then and is completely indefensible. Extrapolation is hardly proof and the CDC statistics don't begin to validate this nonsense. If it were true it would mean that for essentially every person you had ever heard of dying from any type of accident or pneumonia there would be one resulting from medical error. Every fatal car wreck you ever read about. Every drowning. Every fatal accidental shooting or fall AND every person you had ever heard of dying from lower respiratory tract infection would have an approximately equal number of deaths CAUSED by medical errors. In other words people who would have lived instead died because a medical professional made a mistake. If you believe that's true I have a wonderful bridge here in Brooklyn I would be happy to sell you for a very reasonable price.