My dad was involved in a minor bus incident this weekend. He was transported to the ER, got a scan and was told there were no discernable injuries. He was told to follow up with his family doctor, which he did yesterday. He has soreness when the area is touched but otherwise is fine. This is the straightforward part.
The complicated part...the incident was reported to the transit company, I had to pursue them to respond. They tell me their insurance company will reach out to my dad to discuss the incident. Long story short, because my dad is on Medicaid and lives in HUD housing AND because it seems to be a minor incident AND he seems to be fine, I've advised him to not involve lawyers. Just work with the insurance company to ensure any medical bills will be covered and my dad isn't stuck with any costs due to an accident that was not his fault.
I have no expertise in the matter but from what I have seen on Google, insurance payouts affect Medicaid coverage. Due to the minor incident factor, I have advised my dad that any small payout would not be worth the effort or the loss of Medicaid. He has minor but consistent health problems and Medicaid goes a long way in covering treatment for them. He's poor so if he were to engage a lawyer, it would have to be basically an ambulance chaser on contingency. I doubt they would be willing to take on a case just to ensure the medical bills are paid.
But I am concerned that by advising my father not to engage a lawyer and to just work with the insurance company, I may be feeding him to the lions. Already, my dad is stressed because he has called multiple times and the insurance company hasn't returned his calls. Though I have to remind my dad it's only been a day.
Still...should my dad lawyer up? I feel like we're doing the right thing, but I don't want him to get screwed either.