Two Bristol men were seriously injured last week when they fell while repairing the roof of a New Harbor church May 13.
Bristol Asst. Fire Chief Jared Pendleton said the two men were replacing the shingles on the roof of the New Harbor/Round Pond United Methodist Church when the staging failed, plunging the men about 25 feet to the ground.
Rev. Julia Wilson, the church’s pastor, identified the accident victims as Jim Doughty and Malcolm Simmons.
Despite being in serious pain, Doughty arranged for another contractor to cover the roof in an attempt to prevent water damage to the interior of the church, Wilson said.
“It was my responsibility,” Doughty said from his hospital bed.
After the accident, both men were rushed to Miles Memorial Hospital for treatment. Doughty was subsequently transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Pendleton and hospital officials declined to outline the injuries of the two victims citing federal privacy laws, but when contacted, Doughty said he was all right although his ribs were hurting.
“I have got 12 fractures or something like that,” Doughty said. “Ribs, pieces of spine, shoulder blade, liver bruised; it was quite a few of them. They said it was harder to count them than to just tell you you’re going to be in pain for a while.”
On Tuesday May 19, Doughty said he hoped to be released from the hospital by the end of the day. Simmons was already at home, he said.
“I should be back to work in a couple of weeks,” Doughty said. “I am still at Maine Med, Hopefully I will get out today but I just wanted to make sure I could thank everybody. I just want put a thank you in there for everybody’s prayers and support. Everybody’s been great.”
