No Federal Aid For Hurt Farm Worker Man Who Lost Arms In Idaho Accident Has Nowhere To Turn For Help

An attorney representing a Malta farmworker whose arms were pulled off by a tractor-powered post-hole digger last month has concluded that no federal money is available to help pay the mounting hospital bills.

Cassia County will pay the first $10,000 and a special state program will fund the rest of the projected $400,000 bill to University of Utah Medical Center, a county official said.

If Javier Tellez Juarez had been covered by worker’s compensation, an insurance fund would have paid all his medical bills, rehabilitation costs and any retraining. It would have also paid him $9,000 to $14,000 a year for life.

Michael Martinez, an attorney representing Tellez, said there is no Medicaid, no Medicare, no workers compensation, nor other program to help pay the bills because Juarez is a resident alien.

Martinez said the Tellez family will not pursue legal action against Tracy Farms, where the accident happened on Dec. 13.

Cassia County’s coffers are the first place Martinez will look for money.

However, Cassia County is not liable for the entire amount, said Emily Egbert, county welfare officer.

She said Cassia County taxpayers will pay the first $10,000 out of a county indigent budget.

The remainder becomes the responsibility of the entire state’s taxpayers through the Idaho Catastrophic Health Care Program, she said. That program is an insurance policy carried by the state.

Martinez said money donated in Idaho and Utah will probably be enough for the family’s living expenses while Juarez spends the next six months to a year in an extended-care facility.

Juarez, 24, has a 17-year-old wife and four-month-old daughter.

Juarez remains in serious but stable condition.

Martinez said it could take up to six months in an extended care facility for the man’s condition to completely stabilize.