Itasca is a small village that carries a lot of traffic it didn't make — commuters pouring off the Elgin-O'Hare, workers filling the offices and warehouses around Hamilton Lakes, and travelers moving between O'Hare and the hotels along Irving Park Road. That flow is good for business and hard on bodies, and when someone gets hurt here, the person on the other side of the claim is almost always a national insurance company that has never set foot in DuPage County.
I'm Scott DeSalvo. For almost 30 years I've represented injured people across this county, taking a limited number of cases and giving each one real attention. If you were hurt in Itasca — on the road, on the job, or on someone else's property — here's what you should understand before an adjuster ever reaches you. Learning it is free.
Don't let Itasca's size fool you into thinking your claim is a small matter. The insurance company handling it runs the same playbook it uses everywhere: sound friendly, move fast, and settle for the least it can while you're still figuring out how hurt you are. It answers to shareholders, not to you, and it makes its money by paying claims short.
What levels that fight is having someone who knows the company's moves and knows this county's courts. That's the entire value of a local lawyer who actually tries cases.
In Illinois you generally have two years from the date you were hurt to file an injury lawsuit (735 ILCS 5/13-202) - one year if a city, village or park district is involved (745 ILCS 10/8-101). You can still recover if the accident was partly your fault, as long as you were 50% or less to blame (735 ILCS 5/2-1116).
The roads here produce a particular mix of collisions. Irving Park Road and Thorndale Avenue carry heavy surface traffic through town. The Elgin-O'Hare (I-390) and Route 53 bring highway-speed wrecks close by. And because so many drivers are commuters, delivery drivers, and out-of-town travelers heading to and from O'Hare, a real share of Itasca crashes involve people who don't live here — which raises its own questions about which insurance, and sometimes which employer, is on the hook.
My practice covers the range of serious injury claims for Itasca residents and workers:
From surface-street collisions on Irving Park Road to expressway wrecks near the Elgin-O'Hare, motor vehicle cases are the most common I see.
The warehouses, offices, and hotels around Itasca each carry their own hazards, and Illinois workers' comp runs on rules all its own.
Itasca Workers Compensation Lawyer
Wet lobbies, icy lots, and neglected stairwells cause serious injuries, especially in the area's many commercial buildings.
A provider's mistake that causes real harm is the toughest kind of injury case there is, and I take it on when the proof supports it.
Itasca Medical Malpractice Lawyer
When a loved one is seriously and preventably harmed in a care facility, Illinois law protects them by name.
Itasca Nursing Home Injury Lawyer
If negligence takes a life, Illinois gives the surviving family a route to hold the at-fault party responsible.
Real compensation goes well beyond your medical bills. Depending on the injury, Illinois law lets you recover your past and future treatment, the income you lost and any lasting damage to your earning ability, your physical pain, and the loss of your normal life. Permanent effects, scarring, and disability all carry value the insurer would rather you overlook. I won't guess at a number before I understand your case — but I'll pursue every category you're entitled to.
Cases from here are filed in the 18th Judicial Circuit, DuPage County Circuit Court, 505 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, IL 60187.
You pay nothing out of pocket. I take injury cases on contingency, so my fee comes only from what I recover, and I advance the costs along the way. Standard personal injury cases are 33 1/3% (40% if we file suit and litigate), workers' compensation is capped by Illinois law at 20%, and medical malpractice is 33 1/3%. Lose, and you owe me nothing.
Why does trial training matter for a suburb case you hope never sees a courtroom? Because insurers settle faster and higher when they know your lawyer is genuinely ready to try it. I'm a graduate of Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College and the Keenan Trial Institute, and that preparation is what produces better settlements — not a threat you'd ever need to use. I'm reachable 24/7, because injuries don't wait for morning.
Illinois gives you a limited window. Most personal injury claims run two years from the injury; workers' compensation allows three years but usually requires notice to your employer within 45 days; medical malpractice runs two years from discovery with a four-year outer limit; and claims against a government body can be far shorter. Once a deadline passes, the case is over — which is why a quick, free call early is worth so much, even before you've decided anything.
Call and tell me what happened. I'll listen, answer honestly, and tell you plainly whether you have a case worth pursuing. No pressure, no obligation, no cost — you only pay if I win for you.
I answer any time, day or night. Call 312-500-4500.
If you're fully healed and no insurer is involved, maybe not. But if you lost time at work, needed ongoing care, or an insurance company has entered the picture, a free call before you accept anything is worth it. Insurers often treat suburb claims as easy wins because people assume they don't need help — and that assumption is what costs them.
Most personal injury claims give you two years from the injury. Workers' comp allows three years but usually requires notifying your employer within 45 days, and medical malpractice has its own two-year and four-year limits. Government claims can be much shorter. Because the exceptions are easy to miss, it's safest to ask early.
Nothing up front, and nothing unless I win. I work on contingency, so my fee comes only from money I recover, and I advance the case costs myself. If there's no recovery, you owe nothing.
It can, in your favor. When the at-fault driver was working, driving a company vehicle, or from out of state, there may be additional insurance coverage — sometimes a business policy far larger than a personal one. Sorting out every policy and party that might be responsible is part of what I do.
No — the large majority settle. But a good settlement depends on the insurer believing your lawyer is ready to go to court if they lowball you. That readiness is what produces a fair result without a trial.
As soon as you reasonably can. Evidence fades, records get overwritten, and deadlines run. Calling early doesn't obligate you to anything — it just protects your options while everything is fresh.
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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