Chicago roofing worker wins six-figure settlement after suit

A Chicago-area worker injured in a roof fire recovered a six-figure settlement only after his attorney filed a lawsuit, highlighting how construction injury claims can stall before litigation. Attorney Scott DeSalvo says the case reflects a common pattern where insurers or other parties respond only after being sued.

Why it matters: - Construction and roofing jobs remain among the most dangerous in the United States. - Delays in injury claims can leave workers without income while legal teams and insurers control the pace. - A lawsuit can change the leverage in a case when pre-suit negotiations go nowhere.

What happened: - A worker injured in a roof fire recovered a six-figure settlement after attorney Scott DeSalvo filed suit. - The claim drew no meaningful response before the complaint was filed. - DeSalvo said the case resolved only after litigation began. - DeSalvo represents injured workers in Chicago, Oak Brook and surrounding Illinois communities.

The details: - DeSalvo said the pre-suit phase featured acknowledged correspondence, unanswered requests for information and no substantive engagement with the claim. - DeSalvo described the result this way: “Before the lawsuit, we got nothing. After the lawsuit, the case resolved in six figures. The facts did not change in between. What changed was that ignoring us stopped being free.” - The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says construction records one of the highest counts of fatal occupational injuries of any industry. - Roofing carries elevated risk from falls, heat and fire or burn exposure. - DeSalvo said construction cases often involve multiple potentially responsible parties, including property owners, general contractors, subcontractors and equipment suppliers. - DeSalvo said workers’ compensation may cover part of a loss while leaving other claims available. - DeSalvo said many injured workers do not realize a workers’ compensation claim and a separate third-party injury claim can arise from the same incident. - DeSalvo maintains a free guide to Illinois workplace injury claims at desalvolaw.com, along with other educational resources that do not require an email address or registration. - DeSalvo said that access-first approach reflects his commitment to helping injured workers understand their options whether or not they hire his firm. - DeSalvo said that commitment traces to his father’s workplace injury. - Case details remain limited to protect confidentiality, and prior results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Between the lines: - The case shows how a filing can force movement in disputes that linger during the pre-suit stage. - DeSalvo framed the delay as a tactic, not an accident, because injured workers often cannot wait as long as companies can. - The broader legal message is that some workplace injuries may support more than one type of claim, depending on who contributed to the accident. - DeSalvo has represented injured Illinois workers for more than 25 years and is a graduate of the Trial Lawyers College.

What's next: - DeSalvo says consultations are free for injured workers seeking help with claims in Chicago, Oak Brook and nearby Illinois communities. - More information is available at desalvolaw.com. - The firm says it continues to publish free workplace injury resources for workers who want to understand their rights before hiring a lawyer.

The bottom line: - In construction injury cases, a lawsuit can be the turning point that gets a dormant claim moving.