The single most useful thing you can do the day you suspect a loved one was neglected is start protecting the proof — because the proof is on paper, and the facility has every reason to tidy it. Photograph the injury. Write down what you saw, and when, and who you spoke to. Keep every note and message the facility sends. The record of what actually happened begins slipping away almost immediately, and the sooner it's locked down, the stronger the case.
I'm Scott DeSalvo, and nursing home injury and neglect cases have been part of my DuPage County practice for almost 30 years. This page is about serious, preventable harm — real injuries caused by a facility that failed a resident, not everyday complaints. If that's what happened to someone you love near Willowbrook, Illinois law gives your family a real path forward, and the conversation is free.
Nursing home cases are won and lost in the paperwork. Facilities are required to keep detailed records — care plans, repositioning and feeding logs, medication charts, incident reports, and mandated assessments — and those documents show whether the required care was actually delivered. The problem is that when a facility senses trouble, records can be filled in after the fact, "corrected," or quietly disappear.
Here's what most people get wrong: they say "I'm fine" at the scene. Adrenaline masks injuries, so you tell the officer, the other driver, and later the adjuster that you feel okay — and two days later your neck locks up or your back gives out. Now the insurance company has your own words on record saying you weren't hurt.
Whiplash, concussions, and disc injuries routinely take a day or two to show up. So get checked by a doctor right away, even if you feel alright, and let the medical records tell the story instead of an adjuster's recording.
The friendly adjuster is not your friend — that's not cynicism, it's their job description. They're trained to get a recorded statement early, ask questions built to trap you, and float a quick offer before you understand your own injuries. Every move is designed to reduce what the company pays.
You're not required to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement, and you generally shouldn't. Tell them your attorney will be in touch, and let me handle the calls from there.
This surprises almost everyone: the at-fault driver's insurer doesn't cover your medical bills as you go. They settle up a single time, at the very end of the case, and only if they pay fairly — while every bill in the meantime lands on you.
That's where your own coverage comes in. Many Illinois policies include Medical Payments coverage that pays your treatment regardless of fault, and your health insurance can carry the rest. And if the driver who hit you had no insurance or too little, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage may step in — a source of recovery people often don't know they have. I dig through every policy to find all of it.
A real car accident claim reaches well past the damage to your vehicle. Depending on your case, it can include all of your medical treatment past and future, the wages you lost while you couldn't work, your reduced ability to earn going forward, your physical pain, and the disruption to your normal life. If the crash left something permanent, that carries real value too.
Bottom line: the dent in your bumper is the smallest part of what a serious crash costs you — don't let anyone settle it like it's the whole thing.
Call me and walk me through what happened. I'll tell you honestly whether you have a case, handle the insurance company for you, and charge you nothing unless I win. You pay nothing out of pocket, ever.
Generally two years from the date of the crash. It feels like plenty of time, but it isn't — traffic-camera footage gets overwritten, vehicles get repaired or scrapped, and witnesses forget. If a government vehicle or a municipality is involved, the deadline can be much shorter. The safest move is to call early so nothing important is lost.
No. You're not required to give the at-fault driver's insurer a recorded statement, and doing so usually helps them more than you. Their adjusters are trained to ask questions that lock in answers they can use to cut your claim later. Politely decline, tell them your attorney will follow up, and let me take those calls.
Possibly, yes. Insurers love to argue that a low-speed impact can't cause a real injury, but the human body doesn't work that way — soft-tissue, neck, and back injuries happen at surprisingly low speeds. What decides your claim is the medical proof, not how your car looks afterward. Don't let an adjuster use a clean bumper to argue away a real injury.
You may still be able to recover through your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, which Illinois insurers are required to offer. A lot of drivers don't realize they carry it. I'll review your policy carefully and pursue every source of coverage available to you.
Nothing up front, and nothing unless we win. I work on contingency — my fee, 33 1/3% (or 40% if we have to litigate), comes only out of money I recover for you, and I advance the case costs myself. If we don't win, you owe me nothing.
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
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