Elwood Personal Injury Attorney Asks:
Did You Get Injured?
Call The Elwood Personal Injury Attorney ANY TIME!
312-500-4500
"My Injury Guy" Scott DeSalvo
Trial-Trained Injury Attorney for Elwood & Will County
Elwood is a small village with one of the biggest freight operations in North America on its doorstep. The CenterPoint Intermodal Center and BNSF Logistics Park move containers between trains and trucks around the clock, and thousands of people work in the warehouses, rail yards, and truck lots around them.
That shapes the injuries I see from Elwood. Most fall into two groups: people hurt on the job in a warehouse or yard, and people hurt in crashes with the trucks that serve them. In 2022, IDOT counted 66 crashes inside the village, and turning crashes, the kind that happen when trucks swing into yards and driveways on Route 53 and Laraway Road, were the most common. One person was killed.
Here's what most people don't know: if you were hurt at work in Elwood, workers' compensation probably isn't your only claim. When a trucking company, an equipment maker, or another contractor on the site caused your injury, you may also have a separate injury case that pays for things comp never will.
I've handled both kinds of cases for almost 30 years. I live in Homer Glen and handle cases throughout Will County.
No money out of pocket. Zero. No fee unless we win. Call me any time, day or night: 312-500-4500.
My dad was a truck driver and a Teamster. When I was nine, he was hurt on the job and never worked the same way again. His case dragged on for seventeen years, and at the end his own lawyer sued him for more fees.
So when a warehouse worker or a driver from Elwood calls me, I know what's at stake for the family at home. I treat it that way.
Free. Not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by this chat. Prefer to talk? Call (312) 500-4500, answered 24/7.
Elwood's injuries come from the freight economy that surrounds it.
Forklift strikes, falls from loading docks, crush injuries from trailers and containers, and back injuries from lifting all day. These jobs move fast, often with temp staff and multiple companies working the same site.
Route 53 and Laraway Road carry a steady stream of container trucks to and from the yards. Trucks making wide turns into gates and driveways, drivers on tight schedules, and heavy loads make crashes more dangerous for everyone else on the road.
Illinois workers' compensation pays your medical bills and temporary total disability, which is generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage while you can't work (820 ILCS 305/8). You also get to choose your own doctors. Illinois lets an injured worker pick two treating doctors, plus anyone they refer you to, instead of being stuck with the company doctor.
On a typical intermodal or warehouse site, the company that employs you might not own the building, run the yard, maintain the equipment, or drive the truck that hit you. Each of those companies can be responsible for its own carelessness.
Bottom Line: In Elwood, the question isn't just whether you can get workers' comp. It's who else caused your injury.
Forklift, dock, trailer, and lifting injuries at warehouses and rail yards. I handle your comp claim and look for third parties who owe more. See my workers' compensation lawyer page.
When another company's driver, equipment, or crew caused your injury, you may have a full injury case on top of comp. See my injured by someone else at work lawyer page.
Crashes with container trucks on Route 53, Laraway Road, and I-55. I move quickly to preserve logs, dash cam video, and maintenance records. See my truck accident lawyer page.
Turning and intersection crashes around the yards and the village. I find every driver and company who shares the blame. See my Joliet car accident lawyer page.
Crush injuries, machine accidents, and serious falls at industrial sites. See my industrial accident lawyer page.
When a workplace or truck crash takes someone you love, your family may have claims beyond workers' comp. See my wrongful death lawyer page.
In an Elwood work or truck case, I look at:
Picture this. You're working a dock at a warehouse near the yards, employed by a staffing agency. A driver from a separate trucking company pulls away from the dock before you've finished unloading. You fall from the trailer edge and shatter your wrist. Workers' comp covers your medical bills and part of your pay. The trucking company's carelessness is a separate claim, and that one can include pain and suffering.
Look, in a work injury there are often two insurance companies working against you, and they don't always agree with each other:
Here's what most lawyers won't tell you: plenty of comp-only firms never look for the third-party case. That leaves the biggest part of the recovery on the table. I look at both from day one.
Bottom Line: Your comp claim and your injury claim need to be handled together, by someone who sees the whole picture.
Most cases settle, and that's what you want. A fair result, fast, without stress.
Insurance companies and trucking defense firms settle faster and for more when they know your lawyer is genuinely ready for trial. I'm a graduate of Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College and the exclusive Keenan Trial Institute, with more than $100,000 invested in trial training, and I've tried more than 30 jury trials.
Nothing up front. In workers' comp, Illinois sets my fee at 20%. In injury cases, I'm paid a percentage only if I recover money for you. Details are in the FAQ.
Workers' comp covers medical care, part of your lost wages, and a payment for permanent injury. A third-party injury claim can add:
Illinois doesn't cap pain and suffering, and comp benefits and an injury claim can be pursued at the same time.
Find Out What YOUR Case Might Be Worth...for free.
Call me for a free conversation. I'll tell you whether you have a comp claim, an injury claim, or both.
If you hire me, I file what needs filing and start investigating while you heal. Most cases settle. If yours doesn't, I take it to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission, the Circuit Court of Will County, or both. My fee comes out of the recovery, and the rest goes to you.
Hurt in Elwood? Call me now, day or night: 312-500-4500.
Evidence fades fast, and the insurance company has already started working on your claim. Call me for a free consultation, 24/7/365. No money out of pocket. No fee unless we win.
I represent injured people in Elwood and nearby Joliet, Channahon, Manhattan, Wilmington, and throughout Will County.
Nearest office: The Law Office of Scott D. DeSalvo, LLC, 116 N Chicago St, Suite 301 - Kendall, Joliet, IL 60432, about 15 minutes from Elwood. Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., and by appointment.
Call me now: 312-500-4500
Nothing up front, and no money out of pocket. For workers' compensation, Illinois law sets the fee at 20% of what I recover. For personal injury cases, my fee is 33⅓%, or 40% if we have to file a lawsuit. I advance the costs of building your case, and if we don't win, you don't owe me a fee. The consultation is free, and I take calls 24/7/365 at 312-500-4500.
Usually not. In Illinois, workers' compensation is generally your only remedy against your own employer, no matter who was at fault. But you may be able to sue other companies whose carelessness caused your injury, like a trucking company, a site operator, an equipment manufacturer, or a contractor. Staffing situations can be complicated, because the agency and the company where you work may both play a role. A lawyer can sort out who your legal employer is and who else can be held responsible.
Not for your treatment. Illinois law lets an injured worker choose their own doctors: generally two treating physicians of your choosing, plus specialists they refer you to (820 ILCS 305/8(a)). Your employer can still send you to an independent medical exam with a doctor they choose, and you need to attend it. But your care doesn't have to come from the company's preferred clinic. Choosing a doctor who actually treats your injury seriously can make a big difference in both your recovery and your claim.
Report a work injury to your employer within 45 days. A workers' compensation claim generally must be filed within three years of the injury, or two years from the last payment of benefits, whichever is later. A personal injury lawsuit against a third party usually must be filed within two years (735 ILCS 5/13-202), and claims against a local government often have just one year (745 ILCS 10/8-101). Because these deadlines run at the same time, talk to a lawyer early.
Get medical care first. Then make sure there's a police report, and write down the trucking company's name and the USDOT number from the truck's door if you can. Trucking companies often send investigators quickly, and key evidence like electronic logging data, dash cam footage, and maintenance records can be lost if no one demands it. Don't give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer. Call a lawyer right away so preservation letters go out while the evidence still exists.
Yes. My nearest office is in downtown Joliet at 116 N. Chicago St., about 15 minutes from Elwood, and my main office is in Oak Brook. I'll also meet you at home, at the hospital, or by phone or video if you can't travel. Most of the work on your case happens without you needing to go anywhere.
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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