Sommers Schwartz attorney Matthew Turner filed a medical malpractice lawsuit on behalf of a man who suffered serious injuries as a result of negligence by an orthopedic surgeon and a nurse who worked in the office at Henry Ford Health System.

In May 2021, Yousif Zallew fell from a ladder and sought care at Henry Ford Health Systems for his broken ankle.  Two surgeries were performed and he was discharged home.  While at home and four days prior to his first scheduled post discharge office visit, he telephoned the office and spoke with a nurse informing her of his symptoms that should have been concerning for a post-operative infection.  Instead of telling him to go to the emergency room or instructing him to be seen in the office that day, the nurse told him it was ok to wait until his appointment four days later. Four days later, he was seen in the office and diagnosed with a serious post-operative infection.  He was immediately hospitalized and he had surgery for the infection the next day.  Some but not all of the hardware that had been implanted at his original surgery was removed.  He remained in the hospital for almost a month while they treated his infection.  The nurse’s actions delayed the treatment of his serious infection for at least four days and this delay allowed the infection to persist and worsen.

Mr. Zallew’s infection persisted and he was treated by both Dr. Hakeos and plastic surgeons at Henry Ford.  He was re-admitted to the hospital on July 19, 2021 where he had more surgery performed by the plastic surgeons in an attempt to heal his wound which persisted due to the infection. 

The infection persisted and Mr. Zallew’s wound did not heal because the hardware that remained in Mr. Zallew’s ankle was seeded with bacteria.  Plaintiff alleges that the orthopedic physician, William Hakeos, M.D., should have removed the lateral hardware in Mr. Zallew’s ankle in the summer of 2021, when the was still not healed.  As a result of the hardware remaining in place, Mr. Zallew required numerous surgeries, lifelong antibiotic treatments, and wound care to treat complications from the infections.  The hardware was finally removed in 2023 and the wound healed.    Dr. Hakeos’ delay constituted negligence and medical malpractice, causing Mr. Zallew to suffer serious and permanent injuries. In his lawsuit, Mr. Zallew seeks compensation for his past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of wages and earning capacity, mental anguish and humiliation, and other damages and losses.