Michael didn't want to meet at my office. Too pissed off at the whole medical system. So we met at a diner off Cicero Avenue a couple months back.
His story? Pretty typical of what I see. Had a disk problem in his back. Doctor said surgery would fix it and get him back to his construction job. Simple procedure. Except the neurosurgeon nicked a nerve root during the operation.
Here's the kicker—they knew about it. It's right there in the operative notes. But nobody told Michael. For three months, they kept telling him the pain and numbness were "normal healing" and would get better with time.
Finally, he sees a different doctor who takes one look at his records and lays it out: the nerve got damaged during surgery, they documented it, and they just didn't bother mentioning it. By that point, the damage is permanent. He's never going back to construction work.
The hospital offered him fifteen grand to sign a release and shut up about it. Fifteen grand. That wouldn't even cover what he's already paid out of pocket, let alone the fact that his career's over.
This kind of thing makes me furious. And I see it constantly.
Doctors make mistakes. Fine—everyone makes mistakes. But then the hospitals try to cover it up. Their risk management people make insulting settlement offers. Insurance companies bank on victims not knowing they can fight back.
The whole setup protects healthcare providers, not patients.
If medical negligence messed up your life—or worse, killed someone you care about—you've got legal options. You can push back. And you should.
These cases aren't simple. They cost money to pursue. Hospitals have legal teams and basically unlimited resources to defend themselves. That's exactly why you need a lawyer who's dealt with this stuff before and doesn't get intimidated.
I work on contingency. Meaning I don't get paid unless you do. Nothing upfront. And I'm not one of those lawyers who's unavailable after 5 PM. You've got questions at midnight? Call me. I'll answer.
People call me all the time wondering if they've got a case. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't.
Bad outcomes don't automatically mean malpractice. Medicine's complicated. Even when doctors do everything perfectly, patients can still end up with complications. That's just reality.
The real question is whether the healthcare provider met what's called the "standard of care." Basically, did they do what any competent doctor would've done in the same situation?
With Michael's surgeon—sure, sometimes nerves get hit during back surgery. That can happen even with good technique. But not telling him about it afterward? Not monitoring him properly? That's below standard. That's where malpractice comes in.
Under Illinois law, here's what we've got to prove for a Bedford Park medical malpractice case:
There was a doctor-patient relationship. Usually pretty straightforward. If they treated you, you've got a relationship.
The provider didn't meet the standard of care. This part needs expert testimony. We bring in doctors in the same specialty who review your case and explain what should've happened versus what actually did happen. I've got relationships with medical experts all over Illinois who'll call out negligence when they see it.
That failure directly caused your injury. Legal term is "causation." We've got to show that if the doctor had done their job right, you wouldn't be hurt.
You've got actual damages. Medical bills, lost paychecks, pain, disability, reduced quality of life. We document all of it and figure out what you're owed going forward too.
Illinois doesn't make this easy. There are filing deadlines, expert requirements, and a bunch of hoops designed to protect doctors from lawsuits. Healthcare lobbyists have spent decades making it harder to sue. They're counting on you not understanding your rights or getting overwhelmed by the process.
That's my job—to handle the complicated parts while you focus on recovering.
I've seen pretty much every flavor of medical negligence. Some are so preventable I can't sleep after hearing about them. Here's what comes across my desk most:
Surgery's always risky. Patients know that. But there are mistakes that just shouldn't happen.
Wrong-site surgery. Operating on the wrong body part or even the wrong patient. Leaving tools or sponges inside people. Cutting things that shouldn't be cut. Nerve damage from carelessness. Infections from dirty instruments. Anesthesia mistakes that cause brain damage.
Had a client from Bedford Park who went in for a straightforward hysterectomy at a nearby hospital. Surgeon accidentally cut her ureter—that's the tube from the kidney to the bladder. Didn't catch it during the operation. She ended up with a massive infection and lost the kidney. All because of a surgical error nobody noticed until it was too late.
Hospitals have checklists and protocols to prevent exactly this kind of thing. When they don't follow them and someone gets hurt, I make sure they pay.
Timing matters big time in medicine. When doctors miss what's wrong or take too long to figure it out, treatable conditions become deadly.
Cancer that gets overlooked or misdiagnosed. Heart attacks written off as heartburn. Stroke symptoms blamed on something else. Infections that turn into sepsis. Blood clots mistaken for pulled muscles.
I had this case where a guy in his fifties kept telling his doctor he was exhausted and losing weight. Classic red flags. Doctor runs basic blood work, says everything's fine, tells him to hit the gym more. Six months later, another doctor finds stage four colon cancer. A simple colonoscopy at that first visit would've caught it early. Instead, the guy got a death sentence.
When doctors miss obvious stuff because they don't order the right tests or don't take symptoms seriously, that's negligence. When people die because of it, their families deserve justice.
These cases hit me hard every time. Parents expect to bring home a healthy baby. Instead, they're dealing with disabilities that last a lifetime because somebody dropped the ball during delivery.
Cerebral palsy from the baby not getting enough oxygen. Erb's palsy from pulling too hard with forceps. Shoulder injuries. Untreated infections in the mother. Not doing a C-section fast enough when the baby's in trouble. Brain damage because nobody watched the fetal monitor showing distress.
These kids need care for the rest of their lives. Therapy, equipment, surgeries, meds. We're talking millions of dollars. Parents shouldn't have to shoulder that alone when it happened because medical staff didn't do their jobs.
I bring in obstetric experts who can look at delivery records and pinpoint exactly where things went sideways.
Wrong drug. Wrong dose. Nobody checked what else the patient's taking. Pharmacy gives you somebody else's prescription. People die from this stuff every year.
Had a case where an older woman got prescribed something that interacted badly with her blood thinner. The interaction's listed in every drug database out there. Her doctor either didn't check or didn't care. She developed internal bleeding and almost died. Two weeks in ICU.
Doctors and pharmacists need to get medications right. When they don't and patients suffer, that's on them.
ERs around Bedford Park and Cook County are supposed to figure out what's wrong and stabilize you. Sometimes they send people home with serious conditions nobody caught.
Appendicitis diagnosed as stomach flu. Heart attacks dismissed as anxiety. Meningitis sent home as a bad headache. Broken bones missed on X-rays. Head injuries nobody evaluated properly.
When you show up at the ER, you're trusting them to take you seriously and run the right tests. When they don't and you end up back there days later in worse shape, that's malpractice.
Old folks in Bedford Park nursing homes deserve decent care. When facilities cut corners to save money, residents get hurt.
Bedsores from not moving people enough. Falls nobody prevented. Dehydration. Malnutrition. Medication errors. Sometimes straight-up abuse.
I've been in facilities where residents are so understaffed it's dangerous. People sitting in dirty diapers for hours. Call buttons going unanswered. Residents falling and nobody finding them for a long time.
When profits matter more than patients, somebody needs to hold these places accountable. That's what I do.
I won't sugarcoat it—medical malpractice cases in Illinois are hard. The legislature's made it tougher over the years to sue healthcare providers. The system's rigged against injured patients in a lot of ways.
Here's what we're dealing with in Bedford Park and Cook County:
Hospitals have serious legal firepower. Big medical centers have entire law firms on retainer. Even individual doctors carry insurance policies that come with aggressive legal defense. Most people can't match those resources.
You need expensive expert testimony. Illinois law says we can't just walk in and claim the doctor messed up. We need medical experts in the same specialty to review records and testify. Finding doctors willing to testify against other doctors isn't easy. And their fees run thousands of dollars.
Time limits are brutal. You've usually got two years from when you discover the malpractice to file a lawsuit. There's also a four-year hard stop from when the negligence happened, whether you knew about it or not. Miss these deadlines and your case is dead. Period.
Juries like doctors. Most people trust their doctors and the medical system. Convincing a jury that a healthcare provider screwed up takes overwhelming evidence. Defense lawyers use this.
The defense plays games. They file motions to drag things out. Schedule depositions then cancel. Ask for documents then claim they need more time to review. Make lowball offers hoping you'll get tired and take the money. They're betting on you giving up.
I don't give up. I've seen all their tricks and know how to deal with them.
When you hire me, here's what happens:
You're not getting shuffled off to some paralegal or intake person. You talk to me directly. I want to hear the whole story from you. What happened, how you got hurt, what you're dealing with now.
This initial talk is free. No charge, no strings attached. If I think you've got a case, I'll say so. If I don't think it's strong, I'll tell you that too. I'm not taking cases just to have them. I only take cases I think I can win.
If we're moving forward, I immediately get all your medical records from everyone involved. Not summaries—the full charts. Operative notes, nursing notes, medication records, imaging, all of it.
I go through them first. After doing this for years, I can spot problems and inconsistencies pretty quick. Then I send them to medical experts for detailed reviews.
Expert reviews cost serious money. A lot of lawyers won't spend it upfront. I do because I need to know the truth before filing anything.
Expert quality makes or breaks these cases. I don't use hired guns who'll say whatever for a paycheck. I work with respected doctors from major institutions who review cases honestly and aren't scared to testify about bad care.
They write detailed reports explaining what went wrong and how it hurt you. They testify at depositions and trial. The defense will have their experts too. Mine are better.
Medical malpractice usually causes permanent damage. You're not just owed money for what's already happened. You're owed compensation for every future medical bill, every dollar you'll never earn, every day you'll hurt.
Past and future medical costs. Lost wages and reduced earning ability. Pain. Loss of what makes life worth living. Disability. In wrongful death cases, what the family's lost.
I bring in economists, life care planners, vocational specialists to document everything. We don't leave money on the table.
Most malpractice cases settle before trial. But insurance companies only pay fair amounts when they know you're serious about going to court.
I don't write polite letters asking nicely. I file lawsuits. Do discovery. Take depositions. Line up experts. Make it clear we're ready to go all the way.
When defense lawyers see we mean it, they start negotiating for real. I've gotten big settlements for Bedford Park clients. But I only settle when the number's right. If they won't pay what you deserve, we go to trial.
Plenty of lawyers avoid trial. They settle everything because trial is hard and risky. Not me.
I've tried malpractice cases in Cook County and throughout Illinois. I know how to explain complicated medical stuff so juries get it. I know how to cross-examine their experts and make them look bad. I know how to tell your story in a way that connects with jurors.
Insurance companies know I'll try cases. That's why they pay.
If you think medical negligence hurt you or someone you love in Bedford Park, here's what to do:
Call me today. Don't wait. Evidence disappears. People's memories fade. Witnesses move. The clock's ticking. The sooner you call, the better.
Get your medical records. You've got a legal right to copies of your complete medical records. Request them from every doctor and hospital involved. Don't settle for summaries. Get everything.
Don't sign anything from the hospital or insurance. They might contact you asking you to sign stuff—releases, settlements, whatever. Don't. These documents often have language that kills your case. Let me look at anything before you sign.
Stay off social media. Defense lawyers check your Facebook, Instagram, everything. If you post pictures looking happy or doing activities, they'll use it to claim you're not really hurt. Just don't post about your case at all.
Document everything. Keep a journal of symptoms, pain, appointments, how the injury affects daily life. Take photos of visible injuries. Save all medical bills and receipts.
Don't talk to insurance adjusters. They'll call sounding friendly and concerned. They're not. Everything you say gets recorded and used against you. Tell them to talk to me.
Keep treating with your doctors. Don't skip appointments or stop treatment. The defense will argue that if you're not treating, you must not be that hurt. Keep going and follow medical advice.
Find Out What YOUR Case Might Be Worth...for free.
Nothing unless I win. I work on contingency. My fee comes from your recovery. If we lose, you owe me zero. I also pay for all litigation costs upfront—experts, filing fees, depositions, records. You don't pay those back unless we win.
Depends. Some settle in six months. Others take two or three years, especially if we go to trial. I move things as fast as possible without screwing up the result.
Hell yeah. I've sued some of the biggest hospitals in the Chicago area. Their reputation doesn't scare me. Actually, big hospitals often have better insurance, which can mean bigger settlements.
Nope. Apologies don't erase negligence. Illinois even has a law saying apologies can't be used as evidence in malpractice cases. The doctor can apologize all day. Doesn't affect your rights.
No. Consent forms explain risks. They don't give doctors permission to be careless. Signing a form that says surgery has risks doesn't mean the surgeon can leave a sponge in your body.
No standard answer. Value depends on how bad you're hurt, your age and income, future needs, pain level, disability, lots of factors. When we talk, I can give you a general idea based on similar cases. But the real answer comes after we investigate.
I work around your schedule. Need to meet Saturday or evening? Fine. Can't come to the office because you're hurt? I'll come to you. Most cases settle anyway, so you probably won't miss work for trial.
If we go to trial, yes. But most cases settle first. And if we do go to trial, I'll prepare you completely. You'll know what to expect and what questions are coming.
They try this a lot. They'll claim you didn't follow post-op instructions or didn't take meds right. That's why documentation matters. We review your records and have experts testify about whether anything you did actually caused the injury. Usually this defense falls apart.
Yep. You can fire your lawyer anytime. I've taken over cases from other attorneys who weren't doing the job. If your lawyer's not fighting for you, call me.
Tons of lawyers advertise for injury cases. Some are good. Many aren't. Here's what's different about me:
I answer my phone. When you call, you get me. Not a receptionist. Not some paralegal. If I'm in court or with someone, I call you back myself. Usually within an hour.
I'm available whenever. Medical stuff and legal questions don't wait for business hours. You can call me at 11 PM or on Sunday. If you need to talk, I'm available. That's not marketing BS—that's reality.
I handle your case myself. Some firms pass cases to junior lawyers after the first meeting. Not here. I handle everything from start to finish. I review records, do depositions, negotiate, try cases. You hired me, you get me.
I don't settle cheap. Some lawyers take tons of cases and settle them all fast for whatever they can get. I take fewer cases and fight harder. I'll turn down a settlement if it's too low, even if settling would be easier.
I understand the medicine. After years doing malpractice cases, I've reviewed thousands of pages of medical records and worked with dozens of physician experts. I understand procedures, terminology, standards of care. When I read your records, I know what I'm looking at.
I'm local. I'm not some downtown lawyer who doesn't know Bedford Park. I know the area, the hospitals, the courts, the judges, the defense attorneys. That matters.
I actually care. This isn't just a job. When I take your case, I'm personally invested. I think about my cases constantly—nights, weekends, doesn't matter. Your case matters because you matter.
Here's something hospitals don't advertise: medical errors are one of the top causes of death in America. Research says preventable mistakes kill over 250,000 people yearly. Some estimates are even higher.
But holding healthcare providers accountable is incredibly hard. Laws protect doctors. Insurance companies fight every claim. Juries don't want to blame sympathetic healthcare workers. The legal system puts up obstacles everywhere.
Most malpractice never leads to lawsuits. Patients don't realize they have claims. They assume bad outcomes are just unfortunate. They believe hospitals when told "these things happen." They feel intimidated.
The healthcare industry counts on this.
Don't be one more person who just accepts it. When negligence harms you or kills someone you love, you've got rights. You can demand accountability. You should.
I handle malpractice cases throughout Bedford Park and the surrounding Cook County communities. I know this area and have represented clients from all over the region.
I also work with clients in nearby areas like:
If you're anywhere in the southwest suburbs and medical negligence hurt you, call me.
Real talk: if medical malpractice hurt you or someone you love in Bedford Park, you need to act now. Evidence disappears fast. Time limits are running. The hospital's lawyers are already planning their defense.
You need a lawyer who understands these cases and isn't intimidated by big healthcare institutions. Someone who'll treat you like a person, not a case number. Someone who's available when you need them.
That's me.
Free consultation. I'll review your situation, explain your options, give you my honest take. If I take your case, you pay nothing unless I win. Zero upfront. Zero out of pocket. No fee unless we recover money.
I'm available right now. Not tomorrow. Not Monday morning. Now. Doesn't matter if it's late or early, weekend or holiday. Call me and we'll talk.
You've been through hell already. The medical system failed you. Don't make it worse by not doing something about it.
Call me now. 312-500-4500. Let's make them answer for what they did.
Hiring Scott was one of the best moves I have made in my life. Scott is a down to earth person and attorney. Scott is a 5 star first class act who really knows his stuff. The Judge said his presentation was one of if not the best he had ever seen. Take my advice, hire Scott I’m sure you’ll be 200% satisfied I was.
Scott not only cares about the case, but he truly cares about his clients and that makes him the best lawyer I have ever met and hired! He won my case! He is thorough in everything he does. I highly recommend Scott, and will always refer him to family and friends.
I hired Scott DeSalvo upon a friend’s recommendation. His office kept me informed of developments as they happened, and I felt the settlement reached was fair considering my injuries. I would highly recommend Scott DeSalvo to represent your personal injury case.
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
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