I was just a kid – nine years old – when my world changed forever.
My father drove a truck. He was a Teamster, a working man who provided for our family. Then came the injury that destroyed everything. His neck, back, and spine were permanently damaged in a crash. His career was over. He was never the same person after that.
But here's what still makes my blood boil decades later: The lawyer who was supposed to fight for him dragged his case out for seventeen years. Seventeen years. And when it finally ended, that same attorney actually sued my father to squeeze even more money out of his settlement.
Can you imagine that?
I watched our family slip into poverty when my father couldn't work anymore. I watched insurance companies jerk him around. I watched defense lawyers play games. And worst of all, I watched his own attorney – the one person who should have been protecting him – treat him like garbage.
That's why I became a slip and fall attorney. To make absolutely sure that never happens to you or anyone in your family.
A few weeks ago, I got a call from an Elmwood Park resident. She'd fallen on an icy patch in front of a business on North Avenue during a winter storm. Broke her hip. She's in her sixties, used to be independent, active. Now she can barely walk without a cane. Her daughter had to move back home to help take care of her.
What made me furious? The business owner's insurance tried to blame her. Said she should have "watched where she was walking." Claimed the ice was "natural accumulation" so they weren't responsible. They offered her twelve thousand dollars – barely enough to cover her ambulance ride and first hospital stay.
Her medical bills have topped eighty thousand dollars and counting. She may never walk normally again. She had to give up her job at a local school. Her entire life changed because a property owner couldn't be bothered to salt their walkway.
As an Elmwood Park slip and fall attorney serving Cook County for over 27 years, I see this pattern constantly. Property owners and their insurance companies make injured people feel like accidents are their own fault. They make insulting settlement offers. They delay and stall hoping you'll give up.
That stops the second you call me.
I handle cases differently than other Elmwood Park slip and fall lawyers. I treat injured people with dignity – like they're my own family. I answer my phone 24/7/365 – call me at 4 AM on a Tuesday if you need to. I don't use aggressive sales tactics or hound potential clients. We talk like regular people, and you make the decision whether you want to hire me. No matter what, we'll be friends at the end.
I've invested well over $100,000 studying with the best trial attorneys in the country. I'm a graduate of Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College and "The Edge" program. Fewer than one in 10,000 attorneys has completed the training I have. Insurance companies in Elmwood Park and throughout Cook County know I'm deadly serious when I say I'll take them to trial.
Call me right now at 312-500-4500. Any time, day or night. The consultation is absolutely free, and there's zero pressure.
Elmwood Park sits along some incredibly busy roads in the western suburbs – North Avenue, Harlem Avenue, Grand Avenue, Fullerton Avenue, plus the Kennedy Expressway running nearby. That's constant traffic, lots of businesses, and unfortunately, that means slip and fall accidents happen all the time.
Here are the types of falls I handle for Elmwood Park residents:
Elmwood Park has retail stores and shopping centers along North Avenue, Harlem, and throughout the village. Common slip and fall hazards include wet floors from tracked-in rain or snow, spilled merchandise in aisles, broken floor tiles, defective automatic doors, inadequate lighting, and cluttered walkways.
Store owners must regularly inspect their premises and fix hazards or warn customers. When they don't and someone gets hurt, they're liable under Illinois law.
Elmwood Park has numerous restaurants and bars, especially along North Avenue and Grand Avenue. Slip and fall accidents at these establishments often involve greasy floors in kitchens and dining areas, spilled drinks and food, freshly mopped surfaces without warning signs, broken tiles near entrances, torn carpeting, and slippery conditions when it rains or snows.
Restaurants and bars owe customers a high duty of care. They can't ignore dangerous conditions.
Parking lots throughout Elmwood Park can be hazardous – potholes that catch your foot, uneven pavement creating trip hazards, poor lighting making it hard to see, ice and snow that doesn't get cleared, and crumbling asphalt that's been neglected.
Property owners must maintain parking areas and adjacent sidewalks. When they fail to do this and you get injured, they're responsible.
I've represented Elmwood Park residents injured at apartment complexes and condo buildings due to broken stairs with missing treads, defective railings that give way, poor outdoor lighting at night, icy entrance areas and walkways, broken pavement, and inadequate maintenance of common areas.
Landlords and condo associations have legal obligations to maintain safe conditions for residents and visitors.
Elmwood Park has banks, medical offices, dental practices, and other professional buildings where slip and fall accidents occur. Wet lobby floors during bad weather, defective elevators, broken handrails on stairs, inadequate lighting in stairwells, and icy building entrances all create hazards.
Professional buildings owe visitors a duty of care to maintain safe premises.
Gas stations and convenience stores see heavy traffic in Elmwood Park. Common slip and fall hazards include spilled gasoline or motor oil on pavement, wet floors inside from tracked-in weather, ice around fuel pumps, uneven concrete, and poor lighting at night.
These businesses must maintain safe conditions for customers filling up gas or running inside for supplies.
Elmwood Park has churches, schools, and community buildings where people gather. Slip and fall accidents at these locations often involve wet entrance areas, icy steps and walkways, broken pavement in parking lots, inadequate lighting, and poorly maintained stairs.
Even churches and schools have a legal duty to maintain safe conditions for people on their property.
The Village of Elmwood Park is responsible for maintaining public sidewalks. When sidewalks have dangerous cracks, uneven surfaces, tree roots pushing up concrete, or ice and snow that doesn't get cleared, people can get seriously hurt.
Cases against municipalities require special notice procedures and tight deadlines. You need to act fast if you're injured on public property in Elmwood Park.
Look, Elmwood Park and Cook County have no shortage of personal injury attorneys. You've seen the billboards on the Kennedy and the TV commercials during the news.
So why call me instead of them?
Legitimate question. Here's my straight answer.
Some attorneys work both sides. They'll represent injured people one week and defend property owners the next week. Not me.
I have NEVER represented a property owner, insurance company, or corporate defendant in my entire career. Not once. Not ever.
I only represent injured people in Elmwood Park, Cook County, and throughout the Chicago area. Your fight is my fight, and I'm 100% on your side. Always.
That matters because I know every trick insurance companies use to deny slip and fall claims. Early in my career, I worked at a big defense firm (ugh!) and saw how they operate from the inside. My sympathies were always with regular people over big corporations, so I returned to doing injury work for injured people exclusively.
I'm a graduate of Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College – arguably the most prestigious trial advocacy program in America. I've also completed "The Edge," another elite training program for trial lawyers.
I've spent well over $100,000 and countless hours flying all over the country studying with the best trial lawyers in America. Not one in 10,000 lawyers has completed the training I have.
Why does this matter to you?
Because insurance companies know who the serious trial lawyers are. When they see my name on an Elmwood Park slip and fall case, they know I'm not bluffing when I say I'll take them to court if they won't offer fair compensation.
That translates directly into better settlement offers for you. It's that simple.
I've had more than 30 jury trials and probably 100 arbitrations. I have more trial experience than lawyers twice my age because I'm not afraid to go to trial when my client's case merits it. In fact, most lawyers retire without ever even having half the trials I've had.
Insurance companies in Elmwood Park and throughout Cook County know this. They know I mean business.
When you call those big corporate law firms with the fancy TV commercials, you get shuffled to a paralegal or a case manager. You might never actually speak with an attorney. Your calls go to voicemail. Your emails don't get answered for days.
That's not how I operate.
When you're my client, you get my cell phone number. You can call me directly, any time – 3 AM on a Sunday, doesn't matter. And I actually pick up. Because I remember what it was like when my father needed help and couldn't get anyone to return his calls.
Got a smaller case? Some complications? Some challenges that make other attorneys nervous? Other Elmwood Park slip and fall attorneys might tell you it's not worth their time or that you don't have a case.
I'll still take a look. Because I remember growing up poor after my father's injury. I remember what it's like to need help and get the door slammed in your face.
All law firms want large, easy-to-win cases. But large or small, I handle them all. That's been my commitment from day one, and it's not changing.
I never chase clients. I never hustle and harass people. I never use high-pressure sales tactics or make inflated promises about what your case is worth just to get you to sign.
We talk like friends. I explain your options honestly. I answer your questions. I tell you what I really think about your Elmwood Park slip and fall case – the good and the bad.
And then YOU decide if you want to hire me. Your choice. No pressure.
Hiring a lawyer is your decision, and you should always work with the best slip and fall attorney who you like and trust. Never go with the high sales guys. They might be desperate for a case. And if they put pressure on you or act like a jerk, is that really the attorney you want representing you?
If we end up working together, great. If not, that's fine too. Either way, we'll end up as friends. That's how I do business.
You don't pay me anything upfront. Not a dime.
No retainer. No hourly fees. No out-of-pocket costs for filing fees, medical records, expert witnesses, depositions, court reporters – nothing.
I advance all case costs myself. Every penny.
I only get paid if you get paid first. My fee is 33 1/3% in most slip and fall cases (or 40% if we have to file a lawsuit and go to court). These are standard rates set by law.
If I don't win your case? You don't owe me anything. Not one penny. I eat the costs I've advanced, and you walk away owing me nothing.
Pretty good deal, right?
Very common question, but there is no way for me to tell you that without A LOT of information about your case.
Even then, there's a range of value depending on you as the client, the facts of the case, the severity of your injuries, your doctor, and your medical outcome once you have recovered as much as you can from your injuries.
This may be a disappointing answer, but it's the truth. And you'd better think twice before hiring someone who tells you that you have a million dollar case before knowing any of the details.
The best thing to do is call me at 312-500-4500 and we'll talk about your specific Elmwood Park slip and fall accident and what it might be worth.
You can still recover compensation as long as you were less than 50% at fault. Illinois uses what's called "modified comparative negligence."
This means if you're 20% at fault for the Elmwood Park slip and fall, you recover 80% of your damages. If you're 49% at fault, you recover 51% of your damages. But if you're 50% or more at fault, you recover nothing.
The insurance company will try to inflate your percentage of fault to pay you less. That's why you need a good slip and fall attorney fighting for you. Even if you think you might share some blame for the fall, call me. Let me evaluate the situation.
Illinois has what's called the "natural accumulation rule." Property owners generally aren't liable for natural accumulations of ice and snow. But there are big exceptions to this rule.
If the property owner created the hazard – like piling snow in a walkway or letting water from their downspout create ice – they can be liable. If they partially cleared ice or snow and created a more dangerous condition, they can be liable. If enough time passed that they should have cleared it, they can be liable.
These cases are complicated, and the insurance company will fight hard claiming the natural accumulation rule applies. That's why you need an experienced Elmwood Park slip and fall lawyer who knows how to overcome this defense.
Yes, but these cases against municipalities require special procedures. You must file a notice with the Village of Elmwood Park within a very short time period – often just six months – or your case is barred forever.
That's why you need to call me immediately if you fell on a public sidewalk in Elmwood Park. These strict deadlines don't give you much time.
Under Illinois law, property owners are liable if they either knew about the hazard OR should have known about it through reasonable inspection.
If water was on that floor for 30 minutes and employees walked past it multiple times, the owner should have known about it. If ice was on the sidewalk for three days, the owner should have known about it.
We prove "should have known" through investigation – getting surveillance footage, interviewing witnesses, checking maintenance logs, and documenting how long the hazard existed before you fell.
I once settled a case in 30 minutes. I have settled several in several months. Most slip and fall cases that settle can take anywhere from 6 months to a year. If a case goes into suit and we have to file a lawsuit, it can be 2 years until we get a trial date.
I always push my cases forward, because you do not get paid waiting, and neither do I. I do not get paid anything out of your pocket on contingency fee cases, just when I win your case by settlement or verdict.
Once I know some more details of your Elmwood Park slip and fall case, I'll be in a better situation to give you a time estimate.
When you have no insurance, a doctor can file a lien (pronounced "lean") which is a legal piece of paper saying that if you get money out of your lawsuit, the doctor has to be paid a portion of it for his bill.
The doctor does not have a "stake" in your case, because you still owe the doctor for the bills whether you win your case or not. The law limits how much they can get out of your settlement.
From here, it gets awfully complicated. I have a lot of experience working these things out, and it can get very complicated, beyond what I can answer in a brief FAQ.
If you have health insurance, use it for treatment after your slip and fall. Many times, my client's health insurers never contact them about being paid back for the medical care covered by the health insurance. When they DO contact my office or you, then yes, we do have to work out a deal with them. I handle that, and I can usually get you a pretty good deal.
Not a problem at all. But we must be 100% up front and honest about your medical condition before your slip and fall.
Even if you had the same or similar problem before, the law allows us to make a claim for the exacerbation of a pre-existing injury – for a problem becoming worse. The insurance company is going to find out about your prior injury anyway, and honesty is the best policy.
I know how to prove that the Elmwood Park slip and fall made your condition worse and that you deserve compensation for it.
Hard to say, but maybe 2-3 times before the trial, and then you have to be present for the entire trial, start to finish. This is not the gospel, but it's a pretty good estimate.
That said, most cases settle. About 90% of my slip and fall cases settle without going to trial. But the reason they settle is because the insurance company knows I'm not afraid to go to court if they won't make a fair offer.
I represent people all the time who hire me AFTER they sign insurance papers and give a recorded statement on the telephone. Usually I can fix it. When I cannot fix it, we have to live with it and do the best we can.
It may not be a big deal at all – but it can be a case-killer depending on what you said. It is one of the first things I investigate once I take over a case.
That's why it's so important to call an Elmwood Park slip and fall attorney BEFORE you talk to any insurance adjuster. But if you already talked to them, don't panic. Call me and let's see what we can do.
NO. Call me first at 312-500-4500 before you accept anything.
Insurance companies make lowball offers hoping you'll take the money and go away. Once you sign that settlement release, it's over. You can't come back later for more money, even if your injuries turn out to be much worse than you thought.
Let me review any settlement offer before you accept it. The consultation is free. What do you have to lose?
You might be wondering: What does a slip and fall attorney actually DO? Good question. Here's the honest answer:
You provide me the basics of how your Elmwood Park slip and fall occurred, where it happened, who the witnesses are, what doctors you're seeing. You sign my initial paperwork, like information releases so I can get your medical records.
I always have clients sign a written agreement outlining our agreement in plain English. No tricks, no fine print, just a straightforward agreement.
Your job is to tell me if you change jobs or addresses or phone numbers, keep me updated as to your medical treatment, send me anything you get in the mail related to your injuries or the slip and fall, and cooperate with my office as we collect your medical records, bills, and other information necessary to push your case forward.
If we file a case, you might have to come to my office or the courthouse a few times, but the day-to-day heavy lifting is all done by my office.
Once you hire me, the insurance adjusters call ME, not you. You don't have to deal with their tricks and games anymore. You don't have to stress about saying the wrong thing or getting recorded saying something they'll use against you.
I become the buffer between you and the insurance companies. That's my job.
I get the incident report from the property owner. I interview witnesses who saw what happened. I visit the accident scene – whether it's a business on North Avenue, a restaurant, an apartment building, wherever – and document the conditions. I review surveillance footage from the property. I gather all available evidence.
Sometimes I hire accident reconstruction experts to analyze exactly how the fall happened. I check weather records if ice or snow was involved. I look at the property's maintenance history and previous complaints.
I don't just take your word for what happened – I build a comprehensive case with solid evidence that proves your version of events and the property owner's negligence.
If you're having trouble finding doctors in the Elmwood Park or Cook County area who will treat you on a lien, I can help. If your health insurance is giving you problems covering treatment, I can help with that too.
If you have been injured in a slip and fall and want to get compensation for your injuries, you have to get treatment or there is no way to prove your case. I make sure you get the medical care you need.
I work with medical experts, economic experts, vocational rehabilitation specialists, and life care planners to determine exactly what your Elmwood Park slip and fall case is worth – not just your current bills, but your future medical needs, your future lost earnings, your pain and suffering, everything.
Insurance companies will only look at what you've spent so far. I look at what you'll need for the rest of your life.
I don't settle cheap just to close the case and move on to the next one. I fight for every single dollar you deserve.
And insurance companies in Elmwood Park and throughout Cook County know that I'm willing to go to trial if they won't make a fair offer. That gives us serious leverage in negotiations.
Even though most slip and fall cases settle, I prepare every single case as if it's going to trial. That means developing a trial strategy, identifying and preparing witnesses, working with experts, creating demonstrative exhibits, and building the strongest possible case.
When insurance companies see that level of preparation, they usually make reasonable settlement offers rather than risk going to trial against me.
Some people think they can handle their own slip and fall case and save the attorney fee. Let me explain why that's usually a bad idea:
Without years of experience handling slip and fall cases in Elmwood Park and Cook County, how would you know if a settlement offer is fair or not?
The insurance company does this every single day. You don't. It's not a fair fight.
I've been fighting insurance companies for over two decades. I know every trick, every tactic, every game they play to minimize or deny slip and fall claims.
You don't. And you'll get eaten alive trying to negotiate with them yourself.
One wrong statement to an insurance adjuster can ruin your entire case. They're trained to get you to say things that hurt your claim, and you won't even realize you're doing it.
Slip and fall cases often require experts to prove the property owner's negligence and the extent of your injuries. These include premises liability experts, medical experts, and economic experts.
You don't have relationships with these experts. I do. And I know which ones are credible and which ones are full of it.
Research consistently shows that people represented by attorneys recover significantly more money – even after paying attorney fees – than people who try to handle slip and fall cases themselves.
Why would you leave money on the table just to avoid hiring an attorney, especially when it costs you nothing upfront and I only get paid if you get paid?
Find Out What YOUR Case Might Be Worth...for free.
I have been licensed to practice law in Illinois since 1998. I had my first jury trial in a personal injury case after one month of practice.
After about 1 1/2 years, I went to a big defense firm and worked for insurance companies and saw how they operate from the inside. (Ugh!) My sympathies were always with the middle class, working class, regular people over big companies, so I returned to doing injury work for injured people.
I quickly realized that there are a lot of injury firms out there that treat their clients terrible, but their Associates even worse. So I started building a practice mainly on word of mouth and great, respectful service. That is the foundation of my firm, and it is my promise to all of my Elmwood Park clients.
Sure, I have had more than 30 jury trials, and probably 100 arbitrations, hundreds of depositions. I have more trial experience than attorneys twice my age, because I am not afraid to go to trial when my client's case merits it.
In fact, MOST attorneys retire without ever even having HALF the trials I have had.
Insurance companies in Elmwood Park and throughout Cook County know this. They know I'm not bluffing when I say I'll take them to court. And that's why they make better settlement offers when they see my name on a case.
I regularly serve slip and fall victims throughout Elmwood Park and the surrounding Cook County communities.
Of course, I visit my clients all over Elmwood Park, Cook County, and the suburbs. We can meet at your home, at your office, at a coffee shop on North Avenue – really, anywhere you're comfortable.
Or we can handle everything by phone, email, or Zoom if that's easier for you. You don't need to be tech-savvy to work with me. I accommodate whatever works best for you.
I serve slip and fall victims throughout Elmwood Park and nearby communities including:
And throughout all of Cook County and the western Chicago suburbs.
No matter how you got hurt in a slip and fall in Elmwood Park, River Grove, Oak Park, Melrose Park, or anywhere in Cook County, I truly hope to hear from you to see how I can help.
You can call my office any time, night or day.
Why not get a free consultation?
Here's how it goes:
You call for free (or I can call you).
I listen to your story about the Elmwood Park slip and fall.
I answer your questions & concerns.
I tell you my plan for your case.
You can hire me or not hire me, your choice.
Either way, we end up as friends.
Sound good?
The call and consultation are always 100% free and no obligation.
Please realize that I am here to help, whether you have a viable slip and fall case or not. Feel free to call.
I have handled thousands of slip and fall cases of all types in Elmwood Park and throughout Cook County, and I've recovered millions for my clients. I can probably help you too.
Are you ready to talk about your Elmwood Park slip and fall?
Give me a call or tell me about your case and I'll call you.
Call me right now at 312-500-4500.
I answer my phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Call any time – 3 AM on a Sunday, 9 PM on a Saturday, Christmas morning, doesn't matter.
The consultation is 100% free. Zero obligation. We'll talk like friends about what happened in your Elmwood Park slip and fall and whether I can help you.
You have nothing to lose and potentially everything to gain.
There is one particular slip and fall attorney I'd like you to call. I'll let you guess who that is. (Yes, that's my sense of humor creeping in.)
But seriously – if you've been hurt in a slip and fall in Elmwood Park or anywhere in Cook County, don't wait. Don't let the insurance companies take advantage of you. Don't try to handle this alone.
Call me. Let me fight for you.
Your fight is my fight.
Main Office:
1000 Jorie Blvd Ste 204
Oak Brook, IL 60523
New Cases: 312-500-4500
Office: 1 312-895-0545
Fax: 1 866-629-1817
service@desalvolaw.com
Chicago and Other Suburban Offices
By Appointment Only
