A jury awarded a Maine man $6.5 million after he was partially paralyzed because of negligence by Northern Light Health.
Travis Getchell, 41, of Eddington, is partially paralyzed after Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center was negligent and did not operate on an emergency spinal injury for nearly 24 hours in August 2021. He sued Northern Light, its flagship hospital and Dr. Kutluay Uluc in 2024.
As a result, Getchell can only walk short distances with the assistance of braces on both legs. He also can no longer control his bladder and bowels.
A Penobscot County jury heard five days of testimony before returning a verdict Thursday. It found EMMC was medically negligent in its care and treatment of Getchell and that the negligence caused him harm.
It awarded him $6.5 million for future medical bills as well as for his pain and suffering. The verdict is one of the highest ever in Penobscot County.
“The jury really said to him, ‘We believe you and we see your suffering and what this hospital did is not OK,’” attorney Meryl Poulin told the Bangor Daily News. “This result is absolutely life changing for him.”
The money will allow Getchell to hire medical help and support services that will improve his quality of life, Poulin said. Getchell had to move back in with his aging parents and rely on them for help with basic tasks after his injury, attorney Benjamin Gideon said at the trial.
“While we are disappointed with the jury’s verdict, we respect it,” Northern Light spokesperson Suzanne Spruce said. “We wish Mr. Getchell good health going forward.”
On Aug. 30, 2021, Getchell, then 36, bent over to take the trash out and felt a pop in his back, Gideon said. He immediately had the worst pain in his life and started losing feeling in his legs. His doctor told him to go to the emergency room.
During that day, Getchell lost the ability to feel the urge to urinate, Gideon said. At EMMC he had an urgent MRI, but a clinician did not review the findings for nearly four hours, according to the lawsuit.
The MRI results confirmed cauda equina syndrome, the lawsuit said. Nerves are compressed at the bottom of a person’s spinal cord and quick surgery can treat most symptoms, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
“The change in bladder function was the flashing neon sign,” Gideon said in closing arguments.
Getchell did not have surgery until 3 p.m. Aug. 31, 2021, nearly 24 hours after he went to the emergency room.
In that surgery, the doctor found a herniated disc compressing his nerves and removed a portion of that disc, the lawsuit said.
“The jury verdict really validated what Travis went through,” Poulin said. “It shows the community’s willingness to hold the hospital accountable when its failures result in a devastating outcome for a young person.”
