MACHIAS (AP) – A Lubec man who was seriously injured in a crash a day after he bought his truck from a used car dealer has been awarded $3 million in damages.

Harold Morey, 36, suffered a head injury and broken bones on Feb. 28, 1997, when a wheel fell off his 1989 Ford pickup a day after he bought the vehicle from Antone’s Sales and Service, according to his lawyer, A.J. Greif of Bangor.

Friday’s verdict is believed to be the largest ever to be awarded in a civil lawsuit in Washington County. The jury found that the wheel came off because a retaining nut on the axle had been overtightened and stripped; the dealership contended the wheel was knocked off when the truck hit a culvert while spinning out of control.

Bangor attorney David King, who defended Antone’s Triangle Inc., the parent company of Antone’s Sales and Service, said Monday his client was considering appealing the verdict and damage award to the state supreme court.

Antone’s Sales and Service, which no longer sells used cars, was unaware of any problem with the vehicle when it was purchased from the previous owner, he said.

A defense expert had testified at the trial that the wheel came off as a result of the accident after it struck a culvert, King said.

Morey, who was not wearing a seat belt, was traveling toward Lubec on Route 189 the night of the accident. He crashed into a utility pole after passing a vehicle.

Deputies who investigated the accident concluded that a mechanical defect was the primary cause, with speed a contributing factor. The former urchin diver suffered a severe brain injury and broken bones, Greif said.

Morey no longer needs medical care, but can’t work and owes more than $100,000 in medical bills, his lawyer said.