A Burlington man who lost his right index finger in a work-related injury is suing the doctor and medical practices he claims failed to treat him properly.

William J. Knight, 48, suffered a high-pressure injection injury, in which hydraulic fluid was forced under his skin, according to the complaint. The accident occurred while working with landscaping equipment, according to his attorney, Christopher Sica of Rome Clifford Katz & Koerner of Hartford.

Knight went for treatment to Occupational Medicine of the Northeast, an urgent-care facility in Plainville operated by DOT Exam Locations. He complained of “swelling, bleeding and discharge” from his right index finger, according to the lawsuit.

Dr. Mathew Thomas diagnosed Knight with a finger contusion sprain, told him to follow up if needed and to stay out of work until Nov. 23, 2020 according to the complaint.

“Over the course of the next few days, his finger gets significantly worse because he’s got oil in it, he’s got hydraulic fluid,” Sica said. “And ultimately, he goes back to the same urgent-care facility and they realize, Oh boy, we’ve got a serious issue, and he’s immediately referred to a hand surgeon, who does all he can to save the finger but it’s unsuccessful.”

Dr. Christopher Judson diagnosed Knight with a high-pressure injection injury with “compartment syndrome,” drained the finger and irrigated the flexor tendon sheath, Knight claims. However, on Dec. 20, his finger was amputated.

“According to our doctors, immediate referral to a hand surgeon would have saved the finger,” Sica said. “These high-pressure injection injuries can be very, very dangerous, if not life threatening, if not properly treated.”

The lawsuit states that Knight has suffered “significant pain and suffering, great mental anguish and has been permanently deprived of his ability to carry on and enjoy life’s activities.”

“What happened to Mr. Knight was a terrible, terrible thing,” Sica said. “To some degree, eye opening for folks that don’t deal with the medical industry on a somewhat regular basis.”

Sica said Knight is alleging malpractice because of the loss of his finger. “In order for there to be malpractice, there’s got to be a failure to follow the applicable standard of care,” he said. “And then one step further,  that deviation results in the injury.”

The suit, filed in Superior Court in New Britain, also names Bloomfield Urgent Care, Granby Urgent Care and Dr. Stephen A. Kei, doing business as Doctors Treatment Center in Plainville, all of whom employed Thomas.

Attorney Edward Mayer of Danaher Lagnese, who is defending Thomas and the medical practices, did not return a call seeking comment.