Lawsuit Claims Nurse Injured At Meriden Health Care Facility

MERIDEN, CT — A hospital worker is suing a Meriden medical center, claiming a machine used there exploded during an operation.

David White of Madison was a certified nurse anesthetist with MidState Medical Center when a "spider" limb-positioning machine exploded mid-surgery, according to his lawsuit filed January against Hartford Healthcare.

The "spider," powered by liquid nitrogen, was being used for three-dimensional repositioning of a patient’s extremity during surgery on August 4, 2021. The lawsuit claims White was standing near to the operating room table or chair when parts of the machine "exploded or separated under pressure with one or more parts of the device striking [his] left shin causing a deep laceration."

The lawsuit blames the explosion on the "negligence of Hartford Healthcare, its actual agents, apparent agents, servants and/or employees."

White claimed the explosion caused him to suffer "serious and painful injuries, some or all of which may be permanent." Among those were post-traumatic stress syndrome, necrotizing fasciitis ("flesh eating disease"), infections, liver shock, nerve injury, panic attacks, impaired balance, inability to drive, scarring and disfigurement.

The suit also names White's wife and three minor children as plaintiffs in the case, stating they suffered a loss of consortium with their husband and father.

The family is seeking a minimum settlement of $15,000.

Jury selection for the case, to be heard in New Haven Superior Court, is scheduled for October 22, 2024.