Car accidents are never pretty, because expensive repairs, injuries, or even permanent health damage usually accompanies them. But, you would be surprised to know that some people are using car accidents as payout options. Locations like Florida and California are showing increasing signs of staged car accidents. Although staged, these accidents can cause real injuries to unsuspecting people. Whether you are in California, Florida or any other location, it is better to know all about staged car accidents and the personal injury it can cause, to handle the situation if necessary.
All about Staged Accident
Staged accidents may look and feel like a genuine one, until you are the victim. These scams are carefully planned and perfectly executed to limit the danger to both the parties involved. Don’t worry, they are not trying to kill you, they are more interested in robbing you blind. The fraudulent people behind this mess will submit bogus reports placing you at fault of this accident to get a hefty check from your insurance company. However, these accidents can still injure people and put them through serious health problems. So, knowing how to identify a staged accident and how to handle the situation would be beneficial.
A Few Types of Staged Accident Scams:
- T-Bone: These generally take place near the intersections where the scam-artists will wait for a victim. As you try to cross the intersection, the culprits will T-bone your vehicle. When the police arrive, the other driver will lie about how you ran the traffic signal or a stop sign, placing you at fault.
- Wave: In this scam, the driver in front of you will give you a go ahead ‘wave’ while switching lanes. As you go for it, the other driver will collide into your car and lie to the police about ever giving you a go-ahead ‘wave’.
- Sudden Braking: When the driver in front of you suddenly slams the brakes without any apparent reason, causing you to collide with the car, it is known as a sudden braking scam. Like other scenarios, the other driver will deny any wrong action and try to blame you for the collision.
In these scenarios, you might see some witnesses corroborating the story of the other driver. Needless to say, they are the ‘shady’ helpers who are very much a part of the whole plan.
How To Handle Staged Accidents?
You can also take pictures and notes after the accident to discredit the lies of the scam-artists in the court of law. Here is a list of things you should consider doing after calling the medical assistance providers.
- Get vehicle registration information
· Get name, address, and phone number of the other driver, passengers, and witnesses
· Take car insurance information
You can click a few photos of the impact area and the driver after calling medical care. Information and photos will help you fight off the blames in a staged car accident.
Reports show that Florida features among the top five US states for fishy auto insurance claims, the other being California, Texas, Maryland, and New York. According to a CBS news article, such scams added an estimated $650 million to Florida’s auto insurance cost in 2011 alone. Needless to say, many cases of personal injury in Florida result from these kinds of scam. One of the reasons probably is Florida being a ‘no-fault’ state where all the parties involved in a car crash qualifies for an insurance claim irrespective of who is at fault. If you find yourself in a staged car crash, you need to be careful. Although, most staged car accidents are designed to deliver a low impact collision, injuries still happen. That’s is exactly why you must visit a car crash doctor without fail.
