Personal injury lawyers are experts at judging character. Sometimes, motivated by a big payout, potential clients do lie and they slip through the cracks. In their quest to uncover the truth, a personal injury lawyer will need to prove above all else that the negligence of another is what caused a client’s injury.
A thorough probe requires a detailed account of the incident. Supporting documents with further evidence and witness accounts will bolster a personal injury case. If you are not able to fill in the blanks, it’s a red flag for any attorney. The chances of them taking on your case are very slim.
A personal injury attorney is explicitly there to protect your best interests. If clients are suspected of being misleading, they could find themselves on the other side of the law. And yet some do attempt to try their luck. According to Forbes Advisor, insurance fraud amounts to $308.6 billion every year.
This article will look at four personal injury claims from around the globe gone wrong.
#1 Woman Fakes Dramatic Accident in Grocery Store
Teresa Birch slowly took a tumble out of sight of fellow shoppers and staff at a store in Devon, England.
She claimed she tripped after her foot got caught in the handle of a bag that had been left in one of the aisles.
In her personal injury case against supermarket chain Iceland Foods, Birch demanded about $12,500 compensation. She said her right knee and left foot were injured.
In a shocking twist of fate, Birch had to fork out $21,600 instead. The entire incident was caught on CCTV footage. To add salt to her wounds, The Mirror reported that her attorney dropped her after learning about her fraudulent attempt.
If you suffered an injury or financial loss due to another person’s actions or negligence, you may be entitled to compensation, according to TorHoerman Law. But if a claim is filed under pretenses, all bets are off.
#2 Fake Falls on Construction Sites
Don’t be fooled by thinking this story sounds like it’s from the pages of a comedy script.
A New York insurance company first brought the fraudulent claims to the public’s attention after it found construction workers were faking falls. Insurer Tradesmen said it had been investigating the alleged fake falls for more than a year.
Their suspicions were aroused when they found homeowners’ premiums across the state had skyrocketed.
Tradesmen has now filed a lawsuit of its own not only targeting construction workers, but also doctors they suspect colluded with the workers.
#3 Man Jailed over Pub Toilet ‘Fall’
Neill Conlon thought he had gotten away with the perfect crime. He claimed he tripped inside the toilet at the Four Seasons Bar in Tralee, Ireland.
Making up a story to a personal injury attorney, he pursued compensation from the pub. Conlon’s lies were caught out by the now-deceased pub owner and the insurance company. They discovered he had fallen outside the pub.
Instead of receiving compensation, the care worker was forced to pay $2,000. Half was allocated to the pub owner’s widow. Conlon was jailed for 18 months with a suspended sentence of five months.
When delivering her verdict, Judge Sinéad Behan said innocent victims with genuine injuries suffer because of fraudulent claims.
#4 Staged Car Accident
Some people will go to extreme lengths to score a few extra bucks. This story however is unbelievable.
According to a report on Today Online, Lim Yong Jun let his friend borrow his car to stage an accident. The end game was to lodge false insurance claims.
His friend supposedly told him to fake the accident so he could get free repairs done on his car.
Jun and four other friends acted on the elaborate plan. And they almost got away with it until Singapore’s Commercial Affairs Department did some investigating.
Jun and his co-accused were charged for their involvement in lodging fraudulent personal injury and motor damage insurance claims of about $50,500. He was sentenced to four months in jail.
The Repercussions
Filing a false personal injury claim is a crime. It is punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on state personal injury law. If you exaggerated your injuries or lied about your claim, this would be considered a misdemeanor.
The U.S. legal system protects the innocent and those who have been wronged. By filing false personal injury cases, you’re abusing a personal injury lawyer’s valuable time and resources.