$6.5 Million Verdict After Hospital Delayed Emergency Spinal Surgery Nearly 24 Hours

On August 30, 2021, Travis Getchell, then 36, bent down to take out the trash at his Eddington home and felt a pop in his lower back. The pain was immediate and severe, and within hours he began losing sensation in his legs and lost control of his bladder. He went to the emergency room at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where doctors ordered an urgent MRI.

The MRI confirmed cauda equina syndrome, a compression of the nerve bundle at the base of the spinal cord that constitutes a surgical emergency. Fast decompression is the standard of care because delays increase the likelihood of permanent neurological damage. Despite the diagnosis, a clinician did not review the MRI findings for nearly four hours, and surgery did not begin until 3 p.m. the following day, August 31, roughly 24 hours after Getchell arrived at the hospital.

By the time surgeons removed the herniated disc that had been compressing his nerves, the window for full recovery had closed. Getchell was left with permanent partial paralysis. He can walk only short distances with bilateral leg braces and has no control over his bladder or bowels. Daily life requires ongoing medical assistance.

Getchell filed suit against Northern Light Health in 2024, naming the hospital and the treating physician. Meryl Poulin and Benjamin Gideon of Gideon Asen LLC represented him at trial. Over five days of testimony, the firm presented evidence that EMMC's failure to act on the confirmed diagnosis in a timely manner fell below the standard of care and directly caused Getchell's permanent injuries.

The Penobscot County jury found the hospital medically negligent and awarded $6.5 million for future medical expenses and pain and suffering. It ranks among the highest verdicts ever returned by a Penobscot County jury. Northern Light Health spokesperson Suzanne Spruce said the hospital was disappointed but respected the verdict. No post-trial reduction or remittitur has been reported.