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am I liable if a relative gets injured at my house?

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whosonfirst

Guest
What is the name of your state?My 84 year old father-in-law came to stay with us during one of the recent hurricanes. While in my house, he fell and broke his hip. He required hospitalization, therapy, etc. (His house and my house are both in Georgia.)

His medical insurance company sent a letter stating that they are investigating if someone else should be paying his medical bills and wanting to know, among other things, if his injury occurred on someone else's property, and if so, what is their insurance company & policy#.

Does his medical insurance company have a legitimate claim against me?
Am I, or my homeowners insurance company, liable for his medical bills?
Can his medical insurance company make a claim against me without his consent?
Does my homeowner's insurance cover this? (the policy states it does not cover bodily injury claims by "resident relatives.)

Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks.
 


H

HomeGuru

Senior Member
whosonfirst said:
What is the name of your state?My 84 year old father-in-law came to stay with us during one of the recent hurricanes. While in my house, he fell and broke his hip. He required hospitalization, therapy, etc. (His house and my house are both in Georgia.)

His medical insurance company sent a letter stating that they are investigating if someone else should be paying his medical bills and wanting to know, among other things, if his injury occurred on someone else's property, and if so, what is their insurance company & policy#.

Does his medical insurance company have a legitimate claim against me?
Am I, or my homeowners insurance company, liable for his medical bills?
Can his medical insurance company make a claim against me without his consent?
Does my homeowner's insurance cover this? (the policy states it does not cover bodily injury claims by "resident relatives.)

Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
**A: ask your insurance agent.
 
T

tvoss98

Junior Member
This actually happened to me before.

A few years back, a friend of mine broke her ankle on my staircase. Her medical insurance company called me stating that I was liable. I gave them my homeowners insurance info, and they sued the homeowners insurance company and won. My insurance company paid for the damages.
 
B

Bigfoot

Member
Like the Guru says, ask your agent. There are different issues if the person tripped over a broken stair, fell because of disorientation caused by medication, or fell while rough-housing a grandchild.
 
T

testedmonkey

Member
Homeowner coverage

The first question the insurance will address is whether the grandparent is going to be regarded as a household member or a guest. Homeowner's liability and medical payments coverage does not apply to household members. Tvoss98's friend was a guest and that's one of the reasons the injury was covered. Bigfoot is right that whosonfirst should consult their insurance agent, but not just to determine the cause of the accident. Even if the fall was caused by a broken stair, coverage won't apply if the grandparent was a household member.
 
R

rmet4nzkx

Senior Member
I would think that your homeowners policy will cover it, while he is a reliative, he is not a resident, he has his own home, but was there understandably because of the hurricanes, but check with your agent. Most likely his insurance questioned it because he was using your address at the time or during his recovery. If you changes addressess as a matter of convenience during his recovery, that could be an issue, again, understandable.
 
M

msiron

Member
I know this is an older post but most elderly people do not fall and break their bones... their bones break and then they fall.
 
R

rmet4nzkx

Senior Member
msiron said:
I know this is an older post but most elderly people do not fall and break their bones... their bones break and then they fall.
Click to expand...
That is of no relevance to the question at hand. While that may occur on occasion, many elderly persons due to diet or medication fall for various reasons, some don't lift their feet and trip, others don't see well or become confused. I have an elderly neighbor with one leg who forgets he doesn't have a leg and falls trying to go to the bathroom in the morning, all while possibilities, are not relevant to the question at hand.
 
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