When insurance adjusters start calling with friendly voices and lowball offers before you've even left the emergency room, you need a Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney who knows every manipulation tactic they'll use and shuts them down cold. I'm Scott DeSalvo, and for the past 27 years I've been going head-to-head with insurance companies throughout Cook County, forcing them to pay what injured people actually deserve instead of the pennies they'd prefer to hand out. Whether your injury occurred on Cermak Road near the Berwyn Plaza, on Ogden Avenue during your commute, or anywhere else in this tight-knit community just west of Chicago, the Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney you choose will determine whether you get real justice or just empty promises.
There's something you need to understand about why I practice law the way I do.
I was just a nine-year-old kid when my father—a hardworking truck driver and Teamster—suffered a catastrophic workplace accident. The injuries were severe and permanent: damage to his neck, back, and spine that would plague him for the rest of his life.
Watching my father in constant pain was difficult enough.
But what came next destroyed our family in ways the physical injury never could. My dad hired an attorney who turned out to be everything wrong with the legal profession. Rude. Uncommunicative. Incompetent. They mishandled his case, failed to secure adequate compensation, and let the whole mess drag on for a staggering seventeen years.
And then—in a twist that still makes my blood boil—his own lawyer sued him for additional fees.
Our family went from financial stability to poverty almost overnight. My mother worked herself to exhaustion trying to keep us fed and housed. My father not only dealt with chronic physical suffering but also the emotional devastation of being betrayed by the legal system he'd trusted to protect him.
I watched all of this unfold. Even as a child, I understood something was fundamentally wrong. I made a promise to myself: I would become the kind of lawyer who actually protects people instead of exploiting them.
That promise is why I'm a Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney today. Every client who walks through my door, I see my father. I see families struggling with injuries they didn't cause and financial pressure they don't deserve. And I refuse—absolutely refuse—to let them experience the betrayal my family endured.
Berwyn occupies a unique position as one of Chicago's closest western suburbs. That proximity creates specific injury risks that many generic suburban lawyers don't fully appreciate.
Here's what makes Berwyn injury cases distinct:
When you hire a Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney with deep local knowledge, you're working with someone who understands these specific dangers. I know which intersections see repeated collisions. I know which property owners have histories of negligence. I know the judges in Cook County courts who handle Berwyn cases.
Downtown Chicago lawyers who occasionally venture to Berwyn don't have this institutional knowledge. A Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney rooted in the community knows how to build compelling cases for local juries and navigate the specific procedures that apply here.
Here's a reality many people don't understand: Cook County is enormous, with different courthouse divisions operating under distinct procedures.
Berwyn cases typically proceed through Cook County courts, which means dealing with specific judges, unique local rules, and particular scheduling practices. Motion procedures differ. Settlement conference protocols vary. Even the way judges evaluate evidence can change based on which courtroom you're in.
If your lawyer isn't intimately familiar with Cook County practice, you're at a serious disadvantage. They'll fumble through unfamiliar procedures. They'll miss important deadlines. They won't understand how individual judges operate or what tactics local defense attorneys typically employ.
I've practiced in Cook County courts for decades. I know the system inside and out. That familiarity directly translates into better outcomes because I'm not learning how things work while handling your case—I already know.
As your Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney, I handle comprehensive injury claims:
Berwyn's street grid creates constant collision risks.
Cermak Road is a major east-west arterial with heavy traffic, aggressive drivers, and multiple dangerous intersections. Ogden Avenue cuts diagonally through the community creating confusing merge points. Harlem Avenue along Berwyn's western edge sees endless crashes. The intersection at Cermak and Harlem alone generates dozens of serious accidents annually.
Downtown Berwyn's residential streets bring different hazards—parked cars, children playing, cyclists sharing narrow roadways. Drivers unfamiliar with the area frequently cause collisions by not anticipating local traffic patterns.
Vehicle accident cases become complex immediately. Disputed fault. Multiple vehicles involved. Conflicting witness testimony. Insurance companies deploying every tactic to minimize their exposure.
That's when you need a Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney who can reconstruct accidents accurately, interview witnesses effectively, identify insurance policy loopholes, and prove liability conclusively.
The CTA provides bus service throughout Berwyn, while the Metra BNSF Railway line runs through the community. Public transportation accidents create unique legal complications.
Common scenarios include:
Suing government entities like the CTA involves strict notice requirements and shorter deadlines. Miss these procedural requirements, and your case dies before it even starts.
A knowledgeable Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney understands governmental liability procedures, knows how to file proper notice within tight deadlines, and can navigate the complex claims process against public entities.
Berwyn's commercial districts along Cermak Road and Ogden Avenue host numerous restaurants, shops, and service businesses. These establishments owe customers a duty to maintain reasonably safe premises.
Premises liability incidents I handle include:
Property owners immediately go into defense mode after someone gets injured. They claim they didn't know about the hazard. They argue it was "open and obvious." They quickly fix whatever caused your injury to eliminate evidence.
You must act immediately. Document everything with photographs and witness statements. As a Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney who regularly handles premises cases, I know how to preserve critical evidence before property owners destroy it.
Berwyn's housing stock includes many older homes and multi-unit buildings. Age and deferred maintenance create serious injury hazards.
Common residential injury scenarios include:
Landlord-tenant cases involve specific Illinois statutes about habitability and safety standards. Property owners will argue they weren't responsible for maintenance or claim tenants caused the hazardous conditions themselves.
An experienced Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney knows landlord-tenant law, understands building code requirements, and can prove when property owners breached their legal duties.
Berwyn residents work in diverse industries throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Workplace injuries happen across all sectors—construction, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, office environments.
Workplace injuries I handle include:
Illinois Workers' Compensation law entitles injured workers to medical treatment, wage replacement, and disability compensation. But employers and insurance carriers fight legitimate claims constantly.
They'll pressure you to see company doctors who minimize injuries. They'll dispute whether treatment is necessary. They'll try forcing you back to work prematurely.
As your Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney handling workers' comp cases, I ensure you receive independent medical care, full wage replacement benefits, and maximum settlements reflecting your true permanent limitations—not whatever the insurance company wants to pay. My fee is set by law at 20 percent.
When healthcare providers deliver substandard care causing preventable harm, that's medical malpractice. These cases are among the most complex in personal injury law.
Medical malpractice scenarios include:
Medical malpractice cases require extensive expert testimony, detailed record review, and significant financial investment. Most attorneys avoid them entirely because of the complexity and cost.
I take medical malpractice cases seriously when negligence is clear and harm is substantial. My fee is 33⅓ percent, which is Illinois standard. As your Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney, I'll hold negligent healthcare providers accountable for preventable mistakes.
Discovering a loved one suffered abuse or neglect in a care facility is devastating. These facilities promise safety and quality care—when they fail, families deserve justice.
Elder care violations include:
If you suspect abuse or neglect, act immediately. Document everything with photographs and detailed written notes. Report concerns to facility management in writing. And contact an attorney who knows how to investigate these cases.
Facilities will deny wrongdoing, blame residents' health conditions, and hide evidence. I know how to obtain records, interview staff, consult medical experts, and prove systematic failures. As your Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney, I'll fight for justice for vulnerable seniors.
Berwyn's dense residential neighborhoods generate significant pedestrian and bicycle traffic. When drivers fail to yield or pay attention, the results can be catastrophic.
Bicycle and pedestrian cases face unfortunate biases. Jurors sometimes blame victims for being on the roadway or assume they were careless. These prejudices are completely wrong—pedestrians and cyclists have every legal right to safe roadway access.
Injuries in these cases are often severe because victims have zero protection. Broken bones, head trauma, spinal damage, road rash requiring extensive treatment—I've seen terrible injuries from these collisions.
Fighting back requires a Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney who won't accept victim-blaming from insurance companies and will aggressively prove driver fault despite jury biases.
Illinois has strict liability laws for dog bites. If a dog bites you in Illinois, the owner is automatically liable regardless of the dog's prior history.
Dog bite injuries can be serious and disfiguring:
Dog owners and their homeowner's insurance carriers will try claiming you provoked the animal or were trespassing. They'll minimize injuries and rush to low settlements.
An experienced Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney knows Illinois dog bite law, understands homeowner's insurance coverage, and will fight for fair compensation including future scarring and psychological damages.
No words adequately describe the pain of losing a loved one to someone else's negligence. Illinois wrongful death law allows certain family members to pursue compensation and accountability.
Wrongful death claims arise from:
I handle wrongful death cases with profound seriousness and compassion. These cases involve not just economic losses like funeral expenses and lost income, but also the immeasurable loss of companionship, love, and guidance.
If you've lost a family member due to negligence in Berwyn or anywhere in Cook County, please call me. As your Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney, I'll pursue justice with the dedication these tragic cases demand.
Some injuries permanently alter every aspect of life.
Catastrophic injury cases include:
These cases require more than calculating current medical bills. You need life care planners projecting lifetime medical needs. Vocational experts assessing lost earning capacity. Economists calculating present value of future losses.
Insurance companies will try minimizing even catastrophic cases. I work with nationally recognized experts to document the full scope of your losses. 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 me a dollar out of pocket. Not for consultation. Not for case expenses. Nothing.
I work on pure contingency—I get paid only when you get paid first. I advance every case cost: filing fees, medical records, expert witnesses, depositions, all of it.
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 are standard Illinois rates.
If we lose your case, you owe me nothing. I absorb the costs I've advanced. That's my promise, honored for 27 years as a Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney.
Injuries don't respect business hours. You might be in an ER at 3 a.m. with urgent questions. An insurance adjuster might ambush you with calls on Saturday morning.
Call me any time—literally 24/7/365. You reach me or my team directly. No voicemail hell. No answering services promising callbacks that never come.
That accessibility is rare among lawyers but essential for injury victims. As your Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney, I'm committed to availability whenever you need guidance.
Some firms operate like assembly lines. The attorney you meet initially never touches your case again. You get shuffled to paralegals who don't know your name.
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 the one standing beside you.
You're not a case file—you're a person who's been hurt and deserves dedicated representation. As your Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney, I treat you the way I wish my father had been treated.
Most lawyers finish law school, pass the bar, and consider their education complete. That's inadequate for serious injury work.
I've invested over $100,000 in advanced trial training with America's best trial lawyers. I graduated from Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College—one of the most selective programs in existence. 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 Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney.
I treat clients with absolute honesty—no pressure tactics, no false promises, no manipulation. 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 walk you through 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 Berwyn Personal Injury Attorney, you get my absolute best effort.
Even if you feel relatively okay, get 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 your 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 ask for a recorded statement "just to document what happened."
Decline politely but firmly.
Adjusters use interrogation techniques to get you saying things that damage your case. 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 Berwyn 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 a wedding? 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 40% at fault. Total damages are $150,000. You recover $90,000.
Insurance companies always try inflating your fault percentage. A skilled Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 35% at fault. Damages are $200,000. You recover $130,000.
Insurance companies love inflating your fault percentage. A skilled Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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 Berwyn 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
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Main Office:
1000 Jorie Blvd Ste 204
Oak Brook, IL 60523
New Cases: 312-500-4500
Office: 312-895-0545
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