Name: Vince Verges
Age: 44
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Occupation: Florida Department of Education, Test Development Center, Executive Director
Family: Wife and two daughters, ages 16 and 13
Clinic: Fitted by Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, Inc.
Product: ProDigits

Case History

Vince Verges was one of four men aboard a Navy EA-6B when it crashed on the Olympic Peninsula on March 19, 1992. Vince had been on what most people have come to know as a “routine training mission” when the pilot of his aircraft lost control of the jet while performing practice maneuvers and everyone on board was unexpectedly ejected.

As Vince descended in his parachute, he realized something was terribly wrong with his left arm, which hung limply down at his side. His flight suit had been torn open at the shoulder and he looked down to see that the skin underneath was gouged and bloody. He slowly raised his gored forearm and stared in wide-eyed disbelief as he saw that the fingers on his left hand had been ripped completely off after having been caught in the narrow gap between the ejection seat and the canopy bow, a solid steel I-beam that joins the left and right side of the canopy glass. In the midst of the sudden, unexpected ejection, Vince did not have time to sit up straight and put his hands in his lap as he was trained to do.

On the descent, Vince employed a variety of survival tactics to make the best out of a bad, nearly fatal situation. After he landed and managed to get himself to a clearing in the woods, he saw a rescue helicopter coming straight toward him so he pulled out the one smoke flare he had, braced it between his knees and pulled back the starter ring with his survival knife.

Two hours after ejecting, Vince was hoisted up into a rescue helicopter and, once on board, he felt himself “let go” and he slipped deeply into shock. He felt extremely cold and thirsty, and began shaking violently. Vince spent eight weeks in the hospital where he had two skin grafts and contracted an infection. After his release from the hospital, Vince stayed on active duty with the Navy for another year, and then took up a second career in education.

Fit by Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics’ upper extremity specialist Jack Uellendahl and Hanger’s Tallahassee practice manager Eric Ramcharran, Vince was one of the first in Florida to receive ProDigits, a prosthesis that reflects the function of a natural hand for partial-hand amputees. Each individually powered ProDigit provides myoelectric control that has never been possible before for partial-hand amputees.

Prior to receiving ProDigits, Vince most looked forward to the independence his new prosthesis would provide. Vince values the simplification of everyday living activities offered by ProDigits such as using a drive thru without having to reach over with his right hand, going to the water
cooler at his office and not being forced to juggle the process with one hand, and a far more efficient experience going through a buffet line with two hands available.

It has been a long process, but Vince is thriving. He now serves as the Florida Department of Education Test Development Center’s executive director. Vince has a loving wife, two beautiful daughters ages 16 and 13, and an active lifestyle. Vince has participated in 10 triathlons, is always looking for another marathon to run, enjoys construction of drama sets at his daughter’s high school, and yard work. He especially enjoys using the prosthetic swim fin created specifically for him by Eric. Now on the agenda is a prosthetic component that he can use to easily transition from the swim to the bike in his future triathlons.