Plainfield Wrongful Death Lawyer Asks:
Did You Get Injured?
Call The Plainfield Wrongful Death Lawyer ANY TIME!
312-500-4500
"My Injury Guy" Scott DeSalvo
Trial-Trained Wrongful Death Lawyer for Plainfield & Will County
When a loved one dies because of someone else's carelessness, your family's world stops. While you grieve, there are bills to pay, questions about what happened, and insurance companies that may already be calling.
Plainfield's busy roads, growing job sites, and senior care facilities are where many tragic incidents begin. Some of the most painful cases involve drunk drivers, people who left a bar or restaurant after being served too much and then caused a deadly crash.
Here's something many families don't know: in Illinois, a claim against a bar or restaurant that over-served a drunk driver has only a one-year deadline and capped damages under the Dram Shop Act. Families who wait can lose that claim entirely.
I'm Scott DeSalvo, and I've handled serious injury and wrongful death cases for almost 30 years. I personally handle every wrongful death case. For other injuries, see my Plainfield personal injury attorney page.
Your family pays nothing up front, and there's no fee unless we win. Call me any time at 312-500-4500.
When I was nine, my father, a truck driver and Teamster, was hurt at work. His lawyer let our family down for seventeen years.
Grieving families deserve compassion and real effort. That's what I give.
Free. Not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by this chat. Prefer to talk? Call (312) 500-4500, answered 24/7.
Under the Illinois Liquor Control Act's Dram Shop provision (235 ILCS 5/6-21), a bar or restaurant that sold alcohol to someone who then caused a death can be held liable. These claims must be filed within one year, and damages are capped at amounts adjusted each year.
The Wrongful Death Act (740 ILCS 180) covers the family's losses. The Survival Act (755 ILCS 5/27-6) covers what the person who died suffered before death.
Plainfield spans both Will and Kendall County. Where the incident happened and where defendants are located can affect where the case is filed.
Since 2023, Illinois has allowed punitive damages in some wrongful death cases, though not against every type of defendant.
Bottom Line: In a drunk driving death, the clock on the bar's responsibility runs out in one year.
Claims against the driver and, when appropriate, the bar or restaurant that served them.
Fatal crashes on Route 59, Route 126, Route 30, and local roads.
Deaths at warehouses and construction sites caused by third parties.
Deaths caused by medical mistakes or neglect.
Picture this. A young father walking home from a Plainfield park is hit by a driver who had spent the evening drinking at a local bar. The driver has a small insurance policy. The bar that kept serving him may be responsible too, but only if the family acts within a year.
Look, even in fatal cases, insurers try to pay less:
Here's what most lawyers won't tell you: in drunk driving deaths, the bar's role is often overlooked because families don't know to ask where the driver was drinking. Receipts, credit card records, and witnesses can answer that.
Bottom Line: Ask where the drinking happened, and ask soon.
Insurers pay fair value in wrongful death cases when they know your lawyer is ready for trial.
I'm a graduate of Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College and the exclusive Keenan Trial Institute, I've invested more than $100,000 in advanced trial training, and I've tried more than 30 jury trials.
Nothing up front. I advance all costs, and I'm paid only from the recovery.
Find Out What YOUR Case Might Be Worth...for free.
Call for a free, confidential conversation. If you hire me, I help open the estate, preserve evidence, and identify every responsible party. Then I pursue each claim. If the case doesn't settle fairly, I file in the Circuit Court of Will County or Kendall County.
If your family lost someone near Plainfield, call 312-500-4500 any time.
Evidence fades fast, and the insurance company has already started working on its side of the story. Call me for a free consultation, 24/7/365. No money out of pocket. No fee unless we win.
Nearest office: The Law Office of Scott D. DeSalvo, LLC, 116 N Chicago St, Suite 301 - Kendall, Joliet, IL 60432, about 20 minutes from Plainfield. Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., and by appointment.
Call me now: 312-500-4500
Nothing up front for your family. My contingency fee is 33⅓% for most cases, or 40% if a lawsuit is filed, and I'm paid only from what I recover. I advance all costs. If we don't win, there's no fee. Call 24/7/365 at 312-500-4500.
Possibly. The Illinois Dram Shop Act (235 ILCS 5/6-21) allows claims against businesses that sold alcohol to a person who then caused injury or death. These claims must be filed within one year, and damages are capped.
Most wrongful death lawsuits must be filed within two years of the death (740 ILCS 180/2). Dram shop claims have a one-year deadline, and claims against government bodies usually have one year.
The personal representative of the estate files on behalf of the surviving spouse and next of kin.
A survival claim under 755 ILCS 5/27-6 lets the estate recover what the person who died could have recovered, such as medical bills and pain and suffering before death.
Usually in the Circuit Court of Will County in Joliet, or Kendall County in Yorkville, depending on where the death occurred and where defendants are located.
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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