Getting injured in Champaign-Urbana throws unique complications at you that don't exist anywhere else in Illinois—you're dealing with university bureaucracy if your accident happened on UIUC campus, you're navigating student housing landlords who exploit young tenants' legal inexperience, you're facing Champaign County courthouse procedures that differ substantially from Chicago-area courts, and you're probably juggling classes or exams while trying to recover from serious injuries that insurance companies want to minimize before you even understand how badly you're hurt. I'm Scott DeSalvo, and I've spent 27 years as a Champaign Personal Injury Attorney who knows Central Illinois courts, understands how university-related accidents create distinct legal challenges, and fights insurance companies who think college students and Champaign residents will accept whatever lowball settlement they offer because they assume you don't know better. You need someone who actually knows Champaign-Urbana, not some Chicago lawyer who occasionally drives down I-57 for a case.
Why My Dad's Lawyers Destroyed Our Family
I didn't grow up wanting to be a lawyer—I grew up watching lawyers destroy my family.
My father drove trucks for the Teamsters. Hard worker. Honest man. Then he got catastrophically injured at work when I was nine years old. His back, neck, and spine were permanently damaged. He couldn't work anymore.
That should have been the worst part. It wasn't.
The worst part was hiring attorneys who pretended they'd help him but actually just took his case, ignored him for seventeen years, botched everything, and then—I'm still furious about this—sued my father for more fees after delivering terrible results.
We went from working-class stable to poverty. My mom worked herself sick just keeping food on the table. My dad suffered not just from physical pain but from the betrayal of trusting lawyers who promised to help but only cared about their fees.
I watched this as a kid and thought: this is wrong. This is evil. Someone needs to fix this.
So I put myself through high school working. Put myself through college. Put myself through law school. And I dedicated my entire legal career to making sure no family ever experiences what mine did.
Every single client I represent is my father. Every injured person who calls me deserves better than what my family got from attorneys who didn't care.
Champaign isn't Chicago. It's not the suburbs. It's a college town with the University of Illinois dominating everything, and that creates accident scenarios most personal injury attorneys have never handled.
Here's what makes Champaign different:
If your attorney doesn't practice regularly in Champaign County, they don't know these dynamics. They don't know which intersections are dangerous. They don't know which property owners have violation histories. They don't know Champaign County judges or courthouse procedures.
I do. I've been practicing in Central Illinois for 27 years. When I represent Champaign clients, I'm not learning on your case—I already know how everything works here.
Champaign County operates completely differently from Chicago-area courts.
Different local rules. Different scheduling systems. Different judge preferences. Different jury pools. Different legal culture.
Chicago attorneys who think they can just show up in Urbana and handle a case the same way they handle Cook County cases are wrong. They miss deadlines. They don't understand local procedures. They don't know judges' individual approaches to settlement conferences or evidence disputes.
I know Champaign County Courthouse. I know the judges. I know how cases move through the system. I know what local juries respond to. That knowledge directly improves your outcome.
University of Illinois is a state institution, which means accidents on campus involve governmental immunity issues that most attorneys don't understand.
Campus accidents include bicycle crashes on campus paths, pedestrian strikes in crosswalks, slip and falls in academic buildings, Memorial Stadium injuries during games, State Farm Center accidents at events, recreational facility injuries, research lab accidents, and campus housing problems.
Suing a state university requires understanding Illinois Tort Immunity Act. You have strict notice requirements. Shortened deadlines. Immunity defenses that don't apply to private entities.
Most attorneys avoid governmental cases because they're complicated. I handle them because Champaign residents and UIUC students deserve legal representation even when injuries happen on state property.
Green Street through Campustown is a pedestrian nightmare—thousands of students crossing constantly, distracted drivers, bar crowds at night, inadequate crosswalks, and accidents happening daily.
I've handled pedestrian strikes on Green Street, bicycle-vehicle collisions, bar premises liability injuries, inadequate security assaults, slip and falls in retail stores, parking lot accidents, and alcohol-related injuries.
Campustown businesses know students don't typically sue. They get away with dangerous conditions because students don't know their rights or don't think they can afford lawyers.
That changes when you hire me. Businesses take you seriously when represented by a Champaign Personal Injury Attorney who actually knows how to win these cases.
Champaign's student housing market is a disaster—absentee landlords, deferred maintenance, building code violations, and properties that shouldn't be rented to anyone.
I've seen balcony collapses from rotted supports, stairway failures from structural neglect, carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty heating systems, fire injuries from code violations, inadequate security leading to assaults, slip and falls from ice accumulation, and mold exposure causing chronic health problems.
Landlords exploit students' inexperience. They know most college kids don't know housing codes or tenant rights. They ignore dangerous conditions betting students won't sue.
When someone gets seriously hurt, I hold negligent landlords accountable. Illinois law requires safe housing. When landlords fail that duty, they pay for injuries they caused.
Champaign sits at the intersection of I-57 running north-south and I-74 running east-west, making it a major trucking corridor with constant commercial vehicle traffic and regular catastrophic accidents.
Interstate truck accidents involve high-speed collisions, multi-vehicle pileups, interchange accidents, construction zone crashes, brake failures, driver fatigue violations, and overloaded trucks.
Truck accident cases are completely different from car accidents. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations govern everything. Electronic logging devices must be examined. Corporate structures must be pierced. Multiple insurance policies must be navigated.
You need a Champaign Personal Injury Attorney who knows how to sue trucking companies, brokers, shippers, and maintenance contractors—not just the individual driver who may be judgment-proof.
Illinois Fighting Illini home games bring tens of thousands of visitors to Champaign, creating unique accident scenarios that only happen seven Saturdays per year but cause serious injuries every season.
Game day accidents include pedestrian strikes near stadium areas, tailgating lot injuries, stadium premises liability, alcohol-related crashes, parking structure accidents, assault injuries from intoxicated fans, and crowd surge injuries.
These cases involve complex liability questions. Is the university liable? Private property owners? Individual tailgaters? Alcohol vendors? Security companies?
An experienced Champaign Personal Injury Attorney knows how to identify all potentially liable parties and pursue maximum compensation from all available sources.
Champaign-Urbana has extensive bike infrastructure and thousands of student cyclists, which means bicycle-vehicle accidents happen constantly with catastrophic injuries because cyclists have zero protection.
Bicycle accidents cause traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, multiple fractures, road rash scarring, internal injuries, and permanent disabilities.
Insurance companies blame cyclists automatically. They argue you shouldn't have been in the road. You weren't visible. You ran a stop sign. They'll say anything to avoid paying.
Juries also harbor anti-cyclist bias. Many people think cyclists don't belong on roads or contribute to accidents.
Winning bicycle cases requires a Champaign Personal Injury Attorney who knows how to overcome these biases and prove driver negligence conclusively. I've handled dozens of bicycle accidents and know exactly how to win them.
Illinois dram shop law allows injury victims to sue bars and restaurants that over-serve visibly intoxicated patrons or serve underage customers who then cause accidents.
Campustown has dozens of bars catering to students. Over-serving is common. Fake IDs are common. Intoxicated patrons leaving bars and causing accidents is common.
Dram shop cases provide compensation beyond what's available from the intoxicated person's insurance. If a drunk driver has minimum insurance coverage, the bar that over-served them may have substantial liability insurance.
Most attorneys don't pursue dram shop claims because they're complex. You need expert witnesses. You need to prove visible intoxication. You need evidence of over-serving.
I know Illinois dram shop law thoroughly and pursue all liable parties to maximize recovery.
Carle Foundation Hospital is Champaign-Urbana's main medical center, and when doctors or nurses make preventable mistakes, patients suffer harm that could have been avoided with proper care.
Medical malpractice includes emergency department failures, surgical errors, diagnostic mistakes, medication errors, anesthesia complications, and obstetric negligence causing birth injuries.
Medical malpractice cases are extraordinarily expensive to prosecute. Expert witnesses cost thousands. Medical record review costs thousands. Many attorneys won't touch these cases.
I accept medical malpractice cases when negligence is clear and harm is substantial. My fee is 33⅓%, which is standard Illinois rate. As your Champaign Personal Injury Attorney, I'll hold negligent medical providers accountable.
Champaign County's economy includes university employment, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, agriculture, and construction—which means workplace injuries happen across multiple industries with different risk profiles.
I handle university employee injuries, healthcare worker accidents, manufacturing plant injuries, retail worker falls, agricultural machinery accidents, and construction site trauma.
Illinois Workers' Compensation Act provides medical care and wage replacement, but insurance carriers fight claims aggressively. They deny injuries are work-related. They dispute medical treatment. They low-ball settlement offers.
Beyond workers' comp, third-party claims may exist against equipment manufacturers, property owners, or contractors who caused your injury.
A knowledgeable Champaign Personal Injury Attorney maximizes total recovery through workers' comp plus all applicable third-party claims. My workers' comp fee is 20% by state statute.
Champaign County has multiple nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and when they fail to provide adequate care, elderly residents suffer preventable injuries from systematic neglect.
Elder care negligence includes pressure ulcers from failure to reposition immobile residents, falls from inadequate supervision, malnutrition and dehydration from understaffing, medication errors, physical or emotional abuse by staff, and wandering incidents.
Facilities deny everything. They blame residents' pre-existing conditions. They claim families never raised concerns. They conceal systematic failures through incomplete records.
I know how to obtain complete medical records, interview staff confidentially, consult geriatric experts, and prove facility negligence. Vulnerable seniors deserve justice when facilities betray their trust.
Losing someone you love to preventable negligence creates pain that never truly heals, and Illinois wrongful death law provides certain family members the right to pursue justice and compensation.
Wrongful death claims arise from fatal vehicle collisions, medical malpractice causing death, workplace fatalities, nursing home neglect, defective products, and campus accidents.
I approach wrongful death cases with profound seriousness. These cases address not just economic losses like funeral expenses and lost income but immeasurable losses of companionship, guidance, and love.
If you've lost a family member to negligence in Champaign County, I'll pursue justice with the dedication these heartbreaking cases demand.
Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, severe burns, amputations, and multiple trauma don't just require emergency treatment—they require lifetime medical care, rehabilitation, home modifications, and create permanent disability affecting every aspect of your future.
Catastrophic cases require life care planners projecting future medical needs, vocational experts assessing lost earning capacity, economists calculating present value of lifetime losses, and rehabilitation specialists designing long-term treatment plans.
Insurance companies fight these cases hardest because they know the stakes are highest. They'll hire their own experts to minimize projected costs. They'll argue you don't need as much care as claimed. They'll offer settlements that sound substantial but won't last five years.
My trial training at Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College specifically prepared me for high-stakes catastrophic cases. I work with nationally recognized experts who document your losses' full scope and testify convincingly at trial if insurance companies won't settle fairly.
Zero money out of pocket. Zero consultation fees. Zero case expenses. Absolutely nothing unless we recover money for you first.
I advance every expense: filing fees, medical records, expert witnesses, depositions, court costs, everything. You pay nothing.
My fees are straightforward: 20% for workers' compensation (state statutory rate), 33⅓% for personal injury cases, 40% if litigation becomes necessary, 33⅓% for medical malpractice. These are standard Illinois rates.
If we lose, you owe me nothing. I absorb all advanced costs. That's contingency representation done right, and it's how I've operated for 27 years.
Call me at 2 a.m. Call me on Sunday. Call me Christmas morning if you need help. I mean this literally—24 hours daily, 7 days weekly, 365 days yearly.
You reach me or my team directly. No automated phone systems. No answering services promising callbacks that never come. No waiting until Monday to speak with someone.
Injuries don't respect business hours. Insurance adjusters call on weekends betting you'll talk without lawyer present. Questions arise at midnight when you're lying in a hospital bed.
That's why I'm available whenever you need me. As your Champaign Personal Injury Attorney, accessibility matters as much as legal skill.
UIUC students face unique legal complications after injuries that traditional injury attorneys don't understand or anticipate.
Student issues include coordinating with parents' insurance policies, dealing with campus police reports versus municipal police reports, understanding university disciplinary processes running parallel to legal claims, scheduling treatment around class schedules and exams, addressing parental involvement in legal decisions, and navigating financial aid implications.
A Champaign Personal Injury Attorney experienced with student cases understands these complications and handles them effectively without adding stress to your academic life.
When you hire me, you work with me personally throughout your entire case.
I return your phone calls. I meet with you personally. I negotiate with insurance companies myself. If we try your case, I stand beside you in court—not some associate you've never met.
Some firms operate like assembly lines where attorneys meet clients once then hand everything to paralegals. That's not my practice. You're not a file number—you're someone who's been hurt and deserves dedicated personal representation.
Most attorneys graduate law school, pass the bar, and never pursue additional training. 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 attempt.
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.
I give honest assessments even when truth isn't what you want to hear.
If your case has weaknesses, I explain them. If settlement offers are inadequate, I tell you why. If litigation is necessary, I explain what that means realistically.
I don't make guarantees I can't keep. I don't pressure you into hiring me. We talk like normal people, I give straight answers, you make your own decision.
Even if you don't hire me, I want us to end our conversation as friends. That's how I operate, and it's how I've built my practice for 27 years.
See a doctor immediately even if you feel relatively okay. Many serious injuries don't produce immediate symptoms—whiplash manifests hours later, internal bleeding isn't always obvious, traumatic brain injuries take days showing effects.
Insurance companies use delayed treatment as evidence you weren't really injured. Don't hand them that weapon. Get evaluated by medical professionals immediately.
Photograph accident scenes from multiple angles. Photograph your injuries as they develop. Photograph property damage. Photograph hazardous conditions that contributed to injury.
Collect witness names, phone numbers, addresses. Witnesses disappear quickly and memories fade.
Keep every document: medical records, bills, prescription receipts, insurance correspondence, wage loss documentation or academic records showing missed classes.
Insurance adjusters call quickly sounding friendly and concerned, requesting recorded statements "just to document what happened."
Decline politely but firmly.
Adjusters use interrogation techniques eliciting 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. 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 searching 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 Champaign 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 case values. 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 Champaign 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. I need truth so I can address potential problems proactively rather than get blindsided.
If you skip appointments or ignore doctor recommendations, insurance companies 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 Champaign 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—medical malpractice, governmental liability, and other situations have different deadlines.
The sooner you contact a Champaign Personal Injury Attorney, the stronger your case becomes. Evidence quality degrades rapidly with time.
Illinois law allows comprehensive compensation beyond just medical expenses:
Insurance companies won't inform you about these categories. That's why you need a Champaign 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 $200,000. You recover $140,000.
Insurance companies always try inflating your fault percentage. A skilled Champaign 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 in Oak Brook, your home in Champaign, 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 Champaign 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.
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 Champaign 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.
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 35% at fault. Damages are $180,000. You recover $117,000.
Insurance companies love inflating your fault percentage. A skilled Champaign Personal Injury Attorney fights to ensure fault allocation is accurate and fair.
Don't let insurance absence prevent you from getting necessary care. I can connect you with medical providers who treat on a lien basis—providing care now and receiving payment later from your settlement.
Your health is paramount. I'll ensure you receive proper treatment.
It depends on multiple variables: your injury severity, treatment duration, whether litigation becomes necessary, insurance company reasonableness, and court schedules if we proceed to trial.
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.
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 Champaign 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 Champaign 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.
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.
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
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Main Office:
1000 Jorie Blvd Ste 204
Oak Brook, IL 60523
New Cases: 312-500-4500
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