A jury has awarded more than $5 million to a Bowdoinham man after a two-week medical malpractice trial in Cumberland County.
Josh DesJardins went to the Mid Coast Hospital walk-in clinic in late 2018 with warning signs for bacterial pneumonia and sepsis. But the clinic missed those warning signs and diagnosed DesJardins with the flu, said his attorney, Travis Brennan. The clinic was staffed with personnel from Blue Water Emergency Partners.
DesJardins went to the emergency room a few days later and was flown to Maine Medical Center, where doctors made efforts to keep him alive. His lungs were severely damaged and he experienced several strokes, which have caused permanent brain damage.
Brennan said the $5 million sum will cover his client's medical expenses and will attempt to compensate for past and future pain and suffering, "and permanent injuries that he experienced as a result, including the scarring of the lungs, some diminished hearing in one ear and also ongoing neurological deficits that Josh has to deal with."
This is the first civil trial in Cumberland County since the start of the pandemic, as courts around Maine work through a backlog of criminal cases.
