You suffered significant injury as a result of your doctor's carelessness.
While in the hospital recuperating, your doctor comes to visit.
He apologizes.
He apologizes to you and your family.
He says he's sorry that this happened.
He claims it has never happened to any of his other patients.
He openly voices doubts about whether he should have performed this procedure.
He thinks out loud in front of you that had not done this procedure, you would not be in this situation.
The doctor appears sincere.
You accept his apology at the moment.
However, as the weeks and months go by, you realize that your injuries are significant and will likely be permanent.
You realize that no additional treatment or surgery can truly fix the problems you are experiencing.
You perceive that the doctor's apology was an admission of liability.
You perceive the doctor's apology was a sign of weakness.
You perceive the doctor's apology was a self-doubting statement that questioned the appropriateness of doing this procedure.
You decide to speak to an attorney about whether you have a valid medical malpractice case.
The more you think about it, the more focused you are on the doctor's apology.
You equate the doctor's apology to the fact that he is legally responsible for causing and contributing to your terrible injuries.
In fact, that appears to be your sole focus of establishing liability and responsibility.
While there are some instances where a doctor who apologizes may actually be admitting legal responsibility, there are other ways to interpret the doctor's apology.