When you're recovering from injuries and suddenly facing financial ruin because medical bills pile up faster than you can count them while insurance adjusters act like your best friend but offer settlements that wouldn't cover a week in the hospital, you need a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney who understands exactly how this rigged system works and refuses to let corporations win. I'm Scott DeSalvo, and I've dedicated nearly three decades to leveling the playing field for regular people facing off against billion-dollar insurance companies throughout DuPage County. Whether your accident happened on Ogden Avenue near Tivoli Theatre, along busy Main Street downtown, or anywhere else in Downers Grove's vibrant community, selecting the right Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney is the single most important decision affecting whether you receive actual justice or just get pushed aside.
The Experience That Shaped My Legal Career
There's a specific reason I fight so aggressively for every client.
When I was nine, my father worked as a truck driver—honest work, union work, the kind where you earned every dollar. Then one ordinary workday turned catastrophic. An accident left him with permanent, life-altering injuries to his neck, back, and spine.
The physical damage was devastating enough.
But what happened next was worse. My father hired an attorney he believed would protect our family. Instead, these lawyers were dismissive, failed to communicate, completely mishandled his case, and let it drag on for an unconscionable seventeen years.
And here's the part that still enrages me: at the end of those seventeen years, his own lawyer sued him for additional fees.
Our family went from financially secure to struggling literally overnight. My mother worked multiple jobs just to keep food on the table. My father dealt not only with constant physical pain but also the crushing emotional weight of knowing the legal system had failed him completely when he needed it most.
I watched this destruction unfold. Even as a child, I understood something was terribly wrong with how injured workers were treated. I promised myself I would become a different kind of lawyer—one who actually protects people instead of exploiting them.
That childhood promise is why I'm a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney today. Every injured person who contacts me, I see my father. I see families facing impossible situations they didn't create. And I absolutely refuse to let them experience the betrayal and abandonment my family suffered.
Downers Grove is known for excellent schools, charming downtown, and strong property values. But prosperity doesn't prevent serious injuries—in fact, certain characteristics of affluent suburbs create unique risks.
Here's what creates distinctive challenges in Downers Grove:
When you hire a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney with genuine local expertise, you're working with someone who understands these specific dangers. I know which intersections consistently generate collisions. I know which property owners cut corners on maintenance. I know the judges in DuPage County courts who handle Downers Grove cases.
Generic lawyers who dabble in Downers Grove lack this institutional knowledge. A Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney deeply rooted in the community knows how to construct persuasive cases for local juries and efficiently navigate DuPage County procedures.
Here's something critical most people never consider: Illinois counties operate their court systems with substantial variation.
DuPage County has specific local rules. Distinct scheduling practices. Unique motion standards. Even settlement conference procedures differ substantially from Cook County or Will County.
If your attorney doesn't regularly practice in DuPage County, you're significantly disadvantaged. They'll stumble through unfamiliar procedures. They'll miss important procedural nuances. They won't understand individual judges' preferences or recognize the standard tactics local defense attorneys employ.
I've practiced extensively in DuPage County for decades. I know the courthouse operations thoroughly. I know court personnel. I know judges and their individual approaches. That institutional knowledge directly improves outcomes because I'm not figuring things out with your case—I already know how everything works.
As your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, I handle all injury claim categories:
Downers Grove's street system creates persistent collision risks.
Ogden Avenue carries heavy through-traffic with numerous businesses generating constant turning movements. Main Street downtown sees pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles competing for limited space. Finley Road connects major residential areas with commercial zones. The I-355 interchange areas are particularly dangerous where high-speed merging occurs.
The intersection at Ogden and Main generates significant accident frequency. Similarly, Highland Avenue through residential areas brings different hazards—children, parked cars, distracted drivers navigating unfamiliar neighborhoods.
Vehicle collision cases immediately become complicated. Liability disputes. Multiple parties involved. Contradictory testimony. Insurance companies deploying sophisticated denial strategies.
You need a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney who excels at accident reconstruction, effectively interviews witnesses, thoroughly analyzes police documentation for bias, and conclusively establishes fault.
The BNSF Metra line runs directly through Downers Grove with three stations: Main Street, Belmont, and Fairview Avenue. Commuter rail creates unique accident scenarios.
Common situations include:
Railroad and public transportation accidents involve federal regulations and complex liability analysis. Determining whether Metra, BNSF Railway, contractors, or other parties bear responsibility requires sophisticated legal knowledge.
An experienced Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney understands railroad liability law, knows federal safety regulations, and can navigate the intricate claims processes against transportation entities.
Main Street's thriving downtown brings thousands of visitors to restaurants, shops, theaters, and entertainment venues. High foot traffic inevitably creates premises liability incidents.
Premises liability scenarios include:
Property owners immediately adopt defensive postures after injuries occur. They deny hazard knowledge. They claim conditions were "open and obvious." They rapidly repair whatever caused injury to eliminate proof.
You must act immediately. Document everything with photographs and witness contact information. As a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney regularly handling premises cases, I know how to secure critical evidence before property owners destroy it.
Downers Grove hosts numerous corporate headquarters and office complexes, particularly near the I-88/I-355 interchange. Corporate environments generate specific workplace injury patterns.
Corporate workplace injuries include:
Corporate employers and their workers' compensation carriers aggressively contest claims. They minimize injury severity. They question work-relatedness. They pressure premature return to work.
As your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney handling workers' comp cases, I ensure you receive independent medical treatment, complete wage replacement benefits, and maximum settlements actually reflecting your permanent limitations—not whatever insurers want to pay. My fee is statutorily set at 20 percent.
Downers Grove's proximity to Chicago and excellent Metra access makes rideshare services extremely popular. Rideshare accidents create complicated insurance scenarios.
Rideshare coverage depends on driver status when accidents occur:
Uber and Lyft carry substantial insurance, but accessing those policies requires navigating complex claims procedures and dealing with corporate adjusters trained in denial tactics.
An experienced Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney knows how to identify correct coverage, file proper claims against all potentially liable parties, and overcome rideshare companies' aggressive resistance.
Downtown Downers Grove's dining and entertainment scene attracts visitors throughout the region. Popular destinations create injury exposure.
Common scenarios include:
Restaurants and entertainment venues carry liability insurance precisely because injuries occur regularly. But their insurers fight claims viciously, attempting to blame patrons for carelessness or intoxication.
A knowledgeable Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney understands Illinois dram shop laws, knows premises liability standards for commercial establishments, and can prove when venues failed their legal duties.
When healthcare providers deliver substandard care causing preventable harm, victims deserve accountability and compensation. Medical malpractice represents some of personal injury law's most complex cases.
Medical malpractice scenarios include:
Medical malpractice cases demand extensive expert testimony, thorough record analysis, and substantial financial investment. Most attorneys completely avoid medical malpractice because of complexity and expense.
I accept medical malpractice cases when negligence is clear and harm is substantial. My fee is 33⅓ percent, Illinois standard. As your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, I'll hold negligent healthcare providers accountable.
Discovering a loved one suffered abuse or neglect in a facility promising safety and care is heartbreaking.
Elder care violations include:
If you suspect abuse or neglect, act immediately. Document observations with photographs and detailed notes. Report concerns to facility management in writing. Contact an attorney experienced in elder abuse litigation.
Facilities will deny wrongdoing, blame residents' conditions, and conceal evidence. I know how to obtain complete records, interview staff confidentially, consult geriatric experts, and prove systematic failures. As your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, I'll pursue justice for vulnerable seniors.
Downers Grove's tree-lined streets and bike-friendly reputation attract significant cycling activity. Unfortunately, careless drivers cause serious cyclist injuries.
Bicycle accident cases face unfortunate prejudices. Jurors sometimes blame cyclists for roadway presence or assume carelessness. These biases are completely unjustified—cyclists have full legal rights to safe roadway use.
Injuries are often severe because cyclists have zero protection. Broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal damage, road rash requiring extensive treatment—I've seen terrible outcomes from these collisions.
Effective representation requires a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney who won't accept victim-blaming and will aggressively establish driver fault despite jury biases.
Illinois imposes strict liability for dog bites. When a dog bites in Illinois, the owner is automatically liable regardless of the animal's history or the owner's knowledge.
Dog bite injuries can be serious:
Dog owners and homeowner's insurance carriers will claim provocation or trespassing. They'll minimize injury severity and pressure quick low settlements.
An experienced Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney knows Illinois dog bite law thoroughly, understands homeowner's coverage, and will pursue complete compensation including future scarring and psychological treatment.
No words adequately express the devastation of losing a loved one to negligence. Illinois wrongful death law provides certain family members pathways to justice and compensation.
Wrongful death claims arise from:
I approach wrongful death cases with profound seriousness and compassion. These cases address not just economic losses but also the immeasurable loss of companionship, guidance, and love.
If you've lost a family member due to negligence in Downers Grove or anywhere in DuPage County, please contact me. As your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, I'll pursue justice with dedication these tragic cases demand.
Some injuries permanently transform every life aspect.
Catastrophic injury cases include:
These cases require far more than current medical bill calculations. You need life care planners projecting lifetime medical needs. Vocational experts assessing lost earning capacity. Economists calculating present value of future losses.
Insurance companies attempt minimizing even catastrophic cases. I work with nationally recognized experts documenting your losses' full scope. My trial training at Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College specifically prepared me for these high-stakes cases demanding maximum compensation.
You won't pay a single dollar upfront. Not for consultation. Not for case expenses. Absolutely nothing.
I work on pure contingency—payment only when you get paid first. I advance every case expense: filing fees, medical records, expert witnesses, depositions, everything.
My fees are straightforward: 20% for workers' compensation (state statutory rate), 33⅓% for personal injury cases, or 40% if litigation becomes necessary. Medical malpractice is 33⅓%. These represent standard Illinois rates.
If we lose your case, you owe me nothing. I absorb advanced costs. That's my promise, honored for 27 years as a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney.
Injuries don't respect business hours. You might be in an emergency room at 4 a.m. with urgent questions. Insurance adjusters might ambush you with Sunday morning calls.
Call me any time—literally 24/7/365. You reach me or my team directly. No voicemail systems. No answering services promising callbacks that never materialize.
That accessibility is rare among attorneys but essential for injury victims. As your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, I'm committed to availability whenever you need assistance.
Some firms operate like assembly lines. The attorney you initially meet never touches your case again. You get shuffled to paralegals who don't know your circumstances.
That's not my practice. When you hire me, you work with me personally. I return your calls. I meet with you. I negotiate with insurers. If we go to trial, I'm standing beside you.
You're not a case file—you're a person who's been hurt and deserves dedicated representation. As your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, I treat you how I wish my father had been treated.
Most lawyers finish law school, pass the bar, and consider education complete. That's inadequate for serious injury work.
I've invested over $100,000 in advanced trial training with America's premier trial lawyers. I graduated from Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College—one of the most selective programs existing. I completed The Edge program, elite training fewer than one in 10,000 lawyers ever attempts.
This training matters tremendously. When facing insurance companies with unlimited resources and defense teams, you need someone who knows how to try cases and win. That's what I bring as your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney.
I treat clients with complete honesty—no pressure tactics, no false promises, no games. You'll always know where your case stands because I communicate clearly and regularly.
I'll give you my honest assessment even if it's not what you want to hear. If your case has problems, I'll explain them. If settlement offers are inadequate, I'll tell you why. If litigation is necessary, I'll explain what that means.
I don't make guarantees I can't keep. What I promise is fighting as hard for you as I would for my own family. As your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, you get my absolute best effort.
Even if you feel relatively okay, seek medical attention immediately. Many serious injuries don't produce immediate symptoms. Whiplash manifests hours later. Internal bleeding might not be obvious. Traumatic brain injuries can take days to show effects.
If you delay medical care, insurance companies will argue you weren't really injured. Don't hand them that argument. Get evaluated by medical professionals immediately after any accident.
Photograph everything. The accident scene from multiple angles. Your injuries as they appear and develop. Property damage. Hazardous conditions that contributed to injury.
Collect witness information—names, phone numbers, addresses. Witnesses disappear quickly and memories fade.
Keep every document: medical records, bills, prescription receipts, insurance correspondence, wage loss documentation. This creates your evidentiary foundation.
Insurance adjusters will contact you quickly, sounding friendly and concerned. They'll request a recorded statement "just to document what happened."
Decline politely but firmly.
Adjusters use interrogation techniques to elicit damaging statements. They ask leading questions. They get you minimizing injuries or accepting partial fault. They create inconsistencies they'll exploit later.
Tell them you need to consult an attorney first, then call me. As your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, I'll handle all insurance communications.
Insurance companies make rapid lowball offers betting you don't understand your case's value and are financially desperate enough to accept anything.
Once you accept and sign the release, you can never return for additional compensation—even if you later discover injuries are far worse than initially understood.
Before accepting any settlement, call me for free consultation. I'll assess whether their offer is remotely fair or exploitative.
Insurance companies monitor social media obsessively. They search for anything contradicting injury claims or suggesting exaggeration.
That photo of you smiling at an event? They'll claim you can't be in pain. That gym check-in? They'll argue injuries aren't serious.
Safest approach: complete social media silence until your case resolves. If impossible, absolutely don't post about your accident, injuries, activities, or emotional state.
Evidence vanishes quickly. Surveillance footage gets recorded over. Witnesses move or forget. Property owners repair hazards and deny they existed. Insurance companies solidify denial positions.
By the time you finally hire a lawyer, critical evidence may be permanently lost. The winnable case becomes impossible to prove.
Don't wait. Call an experienced Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney immediately. Early intervention preserves evidence and protects your rights.
Insurance companies employ full-time adjusters and attorneys whose sole purpose is minimizing payouts. They know you don't understand Illinois law. They know you don't know fair value. They know you're probably financially desperate.
They'll exploit every advantage ruthlessly.
Even seemingly simple cases benefit enormously from experienced representation. The difference between self-representation and hiring a skilled Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney can easily be tens of thousands of dollars.
Be completely truthful about injuries, medical history, and accident impact. If you've had prior injuries, disclose them. If you can do some activities but not others, explain specifically.
Insurance companies investigate everything. They'll obtain all medical records. They'll hire investigators. They'll search social media exhaustively. If they catch you lying, your case evaporates.
Complete honesty is essential. As your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, I need truth so I can address potential problems proactively rather than get blindsided.
If you skip appointments or ignore doctor recommendations, insurance companies will argue injuries can't be serious. Consistent medical care proves injury severity and creates documentation we need to win.
Attend every appointment. Follow prescribed treatments. Take medications as directed. Complete recommended therapy. This helps you heal and strengthens your legal claim simultaneously.
The other party's insurance company is not your friend. They exist to pay you as little as possible—ideally nothing.
They'll seem pleasant. They'll tell you lawyers just complicate things. Every word is calculated deception.
Don't engage with them. Let me handle every interaction. That's what you hire a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney to do.
Find Out What YOUR Case Might Be Worth...for free.
Illinois generally allows two years from injury date to file personal injury lawsuits. Workers' compensation cases provide three years, but you must notify your employer within 45 days.
Exceptions exist, so don't assume you have the full period. Medical malpractice, governmental liability, and other situations have different deadlines.
The sooner you contact a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, the stronger your case becomes. Evidence quality degrades rapidly with time.
Many people think they can only recover medical expenses. Illinois law allows comprehensive compensation:
Insurance companies won't inform you about these categories. That's why you need a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney pursuing every dollar you're entitled to receive.
Illinois uses modified comparative negligence. You can recover damages as long as you're less than 50% at fault. Your award gets reduced by your fault percentage.
Example: You're 30% at fault. Total damages are $150,000. You recover $105,000.
Insurance companies always try inflating your fault percentage. A skilled Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney fights to ensure fault allocation is accurate and fair.
We begin with no-obligation consultation. Call me 24/7, or we'll meet wherever is convenient—my office, your home, even the hospital if necessary.
I'll listen carefully, answer questions honestly, and give you genuine assessment—strengths, weaknesses, realistic expectations.
You decide whether to hire me. No pressure. No obligation. No cost.
If you hire me, I launch into immediate action. Obtaining police reports. Interviewing witnesses. Photographing scenes. Collecting medical records. Analyzing policies. Consulting experts when necessary.
I use proprietary case management software I developed to handle cases more efficiently than traditional firms. This means we discover critical information earlier and build stronger cases faster.
Your health is absolute priority. If you have insurance, use it. If you lack insurance, I'll connect you with quality providers who treat on a lien basis—waiting for payment until we resolve your case.
I ensure all treatment is thoroughly documented. This creates the medical evidence foundation we need.
After you complete treatment, I calculate your case's full value. This includes medical expenses, wage loss, pain and suffering, permanent disability, and all other damages.
I send comprehensive demand packages to insurance companies. Having negotiated thousands of settlements over 27 years, I know these cases' true values. I don't accept inadequate offers.
Approximately 90% of my cases settle during negotiation. But that high settlement rate exists because insurance companies know I'm fully prepared to try cases.
If insurers refuse fair compensation, I file lawsuits without hesitation. I've handled over 30 jury trials plus hundreds of depositions and arbitrations. Some attorneys fear courtrooms. I don't.
When insurance companies see you have a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney ready to take the case to verdict, they typically settle rather than risk jury judgment.
Whether through settlement or verdict, my goal is always maximizing your compensation. When we succeed, I deduct my contingency fee, subtract advanced costs, and you receive the remainder.
If we lose—which happens rarely—you pay me nothing. That's my promise as your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney.
Illinois typically allows two years from injury date to file personal injury lawsuits. Workers' compensation cases provide three years, but employer notification is required within 45 days.
Exceptions exist to these rules. The sooner you contact a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, the better your case prospects become because evidence degrades over time.
Nothing upfront, nothing out of pocket. Pure contingency—I only get paid when you get paid.
My fee is 20% for workers' compensation (statutory rate), 33⅓% for injury cases, or 40% if we must file suit. These are standard Illinois rates. I advance all costs. If we lose, you owe me nothing.
Hiring a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney on contingency means everyone can afford quality legal representation regardless of financial situation.
Absolutely not. Never accept without consulting an attorney first.
Initial offers are always lowball. The insurance company bets you don't know your case's true value and are desperate enough to accept anything.
Once you sign the release and accept payment, you can't return later for additional money—even if injuries prove far worse than initially thought.
Call me before accepting anything. Free consultation, no obligation. I'll assess whether the offer is fair or exploitative.
Yes, provided you're less than 50% at fault. Illinois uses modified comparative negligence, reducing your award by your fault percentage.
Example: You're 25% at fault. Damages are $180,000. You recover $135,000.
Insurance companies love inflating your fault percentage. A skilled Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney fights to ensure fault allocation is accurate and fair.
Yes. I can connect you with medical providers who treat on a lien basis. They provide care now and receive payment later from your settlement.
Don't let insurance absence prevent you from getting necessary care. Your health is paramount, and as your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, I'll ensure you receive proper treatment.
It depends on multiple variables:
Some cases settle within months. Others require a year or longer. What I promise is aggressive case prosecution because you need money now, not years from now.
An experienced Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney knows how to move cases efficiently while maximizing results.
Probably not. Roughly 90% of my cases settle without trial.
If we file suit, you might need courtroom appearances for depositions or hearings. If we actually try the case, you'll need to testify.
But most cases resolve through negotiation. When insurance companies know you have a Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney prepared to try the case, they typically settle rather than risk a jury verdict.
It doesn't automatically kill your case. Illinois law permits claims for "aggravation" or "exacerbation" of pre-existing conditions.
The key is complete honesty about medical history. Insurance companies will obtain previous records anyway. If you lie or conceal past injuries, it destroys your credibility completely.
A Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney experienced with pre-existing condition cases knows how to prove this accident significantly worsened your prior condition.
No. Illinois law prohibits retaliation for filing workers' compensation claims.
Of course, proving retaliation can be challenging. Employers rarely admit "we fired you for filing workers' comp." They'll claim performance issues or other pretexts.
If you believe you were fired in retaliation, call me immediately. I handle retaliatory discharge cases and know how to prove them. As your Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney, I'll protect your rights vigorously.
You might still recover through your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage.
Many people don't realize their own auto policy includes this coverage. It protects you when hit by uninsured or underinsured drivers.
I examine every insurance policy thoroughly—yours, the at-fault driver's, any other potentially liable parties—to identify every possible recovery source. A thorough Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorney explores all options to maximize your compensation.
Scott DeSalvo founded DeSalvo Law to help injured people throughout Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Licensed to practice law in Illinois since 1998, IARDC #6244452, Scott has represented over 3,000 clients in personal injury, workers compensation, and accident cases.
No Fee Unless You Win | Free Consultation | 24/7 Availability Call or Text: (312) 500-4500
>>Read More
Main Office:
1000 Jorie Blvd Ste 204
Oak Brook, IL 60523
New Cases: 312-500-4500
Office: 312-895-0545
Fax: 866-629-1817
service@desalvolaw.com
Chicago and Other Suburban Offices
By Appointment Only
