Jury Finds Eastern Maine Medical Center & Surgeon Negligent for Medical Malpractice; Awards Robbie Nason $2 Million
On July 17, 2013, Robbie Nason went to work at Old Town Canoe located in Old Town, Maine, just as he had for over a decade. Nason, 49, started building boats for Old Town Canoe in 1989 and had avoided any major injuries during his career. But more than four years ago, he was not able to evade an unsecured kayak and it landed awkwardly on his right hand. Nason was rushed to the hospital, but the fracture was so acute that he was sent to a specialist. After reviewing his x-rays, hand surgeon Timothy Pruchnic recommended a bone graft and a compression screw to secure the wrist.
According to a medical malpractice lawsuit, during the surgery Dr. Pruchnic’s alleged negligence led to permanent damage to Nason’s hand and wrist. The 2015 lawsuit, filed in a Maine County Superior Court, claimed that Pruchnic did not fully encase the screw, which left a piece of the metal protruding out of Nason’s right wrist bone, penetrating the joint. The alleged negligence has prevented Nason from working with his right hand and according to the complaint, led to a loss of wages, impairment, and disfigurement.
Timothy Pruchnic and the Eastern Maine Medical Center, located in Bangor, ME, were named as the two defendants in the lawsuit. After hearing four days of testimony from both sides, the jury needed only two hours of deliberation before returning with a verdict in favor of Nason. The Maine jury awarded $2 million to Nason, which is nearly twice as much as the plaintiff sought during the trial.
“We’re pleased with the outcome, we’re pleased for Robbie and we’re thankful for the hard work put in by the jury. This has been a long road for Robbie and he is glad to move forward,” said one of the attorneys representing Nason. “The people of Maine put their trust in our state’s doctors and hospitals to treat them with the same level of planning and care they would expect for their own loved ones.”