Staged Car Accidents Up 46%
Maybe it has something to do with the economy. As a number of con artists try to bilk insurance companies for accidents that they cause, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reports that these types of accidents are on the rise. Staged accidents usually involve a group of people that draw innocent motorists into a collision. According to he group can either fake an accident or put an unsuspecting motorist in an unwinnable situation by blocking her car and then T-boning it, in some cases causing death and injury. The insurance group reports that claims from fake accidents increased 46% over a two-year period ending last year.
Florida leads the nation in these staged accidents with 3,006; New York had 1,689; California had 1,619; and Texas 792. Lastly, Illinois reported 433 staged crashes. The worst cities for staged car accidents include four cities in Florida — Orlando, Miami, Tampa, and Orlando, along with New York City, and Houston. Only New York City had 1,304 staged accidents and topped Tampa, at 562, Miami at, 511, Orlando, 422, and Houston, 376. Since staged accidents are becoming increasingly aggressive in the tactics to defraud insurers of millions of dollars, a Florida accident attorney and investigator may be the best bet to determine if your accident was part of a staged incident and who might have been involved. Many of these accidents go undetected unless they are brought to light and the criminals are revealed for the scams they are perpetrating on the driving public.
