Lawsuit Blames Silver Cross, Police For Man's Injuries: Report

NEW LENOX, IL — Silver Cross Hospital, New Lenox police and the Village of New Lenox are being sued over a 2020 incident that left a man with a traumatic brain injury after he was hit by a car, according to the law firm representing the family.

The mother of Qusai Alkafaween, 24, of Worth, claims in the lawsuit filed by Clifford Law Offices that Silver Cross did not properly treat her son and that New Lenox police officers were negligent when they took Alkafaween to Orland Park, where they dropped him off at a parking lot miles from his home in Worth.

The complaint claims Silver Cross "negligently discharged" him after he was taken to the hospital for mental health reasons on Dec. 5. Attorneys said Alkafaween was "clearly still suffering from a mental illness" when he was discharged.

The lawsuit alleges that police who arrived at the hospital "inhumanely" dropped him off at a parking lot at Wolf Road and Route 6 instead of taking him home to Worth. A news release from Clifford Law Offices says body camera footage shows one of the officers saying he hoped Alkafaween wouldn't "ping pong" back to the hospital. Attorneys said Alkafaween had no coat or cell phone when he was dropped off.

Alkafaween was hit by a car on Wolf Road after wandering into traffic and was left with a permanent brain injury, according to the lawsuit. Attorneys say he was "obviously" disoriented and asked for help, but was told by police to walk down the "dark, busy street."

Alkafaween was slated to enroll at University of Illinois Chicago, but his brain injury means he is now unable to attend college, his family said. Attorneys said his mother flew from Jordan on an emergency visa to care for him around the clock.

A spokesperson for Silver Cross Hospital told Patch that the hospital "does not comment on ongoing litigation."

The New Lenox Police Department issued a statement that reads: "On the evening of December 5th, 2020, the New Lenox Police Department was called to Silver Cross Hospital. Officers were advised that Mr. Alkafaween had been treated, discharged from the hospital, and needed to leave the property. An officer provided Mr. Alkafaween a ride to a location in Orland Park. Due to the pending litigation, we will not be making any further comment at this time."

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