Knowledge about car accident scams is something every driver should be aware of. There are people who deliberately cause car accidents in order to profit from them. In a story out of Indiana last year, 36 people were charged in a fraud scheme involving staged wrecks.
Understanding the different types of car accident scams can help you to avoid them.
Types of Common Car Accident Scams
- T-Bone – A scammer waits at an intersection for you to pass through. Then they accelerate hitting you in the side. This type of car accident scam usually involves a partner who will say they witnessed the accident and that you were at fault for running a stop sign or traffic signal.
- A Friendly Wave or Drive Down – While you are attempting to switch lanes or merge into traffic a scammer will wave their hand for you to go ahead …then they speed up hitting you when you are changing lanes or merging. The scammer tells the police that you suddenly changed lanes or didn’t yield at the merge and that they never gave you a courtesy wave.
- Dual Turn Sideswipe – You are driving in the inner lane of dual turning lanes… the scammer in the outer lane swipes into you if you drive even a bit out of your marked lane… sometimes they even drive into your lane a bit and say it was your fault.
- Brake Slam – The scammer is driving in front of you and suddenly slams on their brakes for no reason causing you to hit them in the rear.
- Swoop and Stop – A car will suddenly pull in front of you and stop… the scammer may have a partner who pulls alongside of you at the same time making it impossible for you to swerve to avoid an accident.
These types of car accident scams are usually enacted at lower speeds resulting in fender benders and minor injuries. Sometimes the scammer will have a passenger in their vehicle who claims a phony injury to increase the amount of money they can claim.
Car Accident Scam Consequences
These dishonest car accident scammers intent is to make huge illegal claims for fake injuries and car damage, either through your insurance company or their own.
Car accident scams have consequences which can range from an inconvenience to an unintended serious injury and/or death. They are inconvenient, costing you time and aggravation with car repairs and police reports. They wind up costing you money and higher car insurance premiums. At worst they can sometimes cause injury and death when the scam goes terribly wrong. In the story in Indiana, medical helicopters even responded to one of the wrecks.
If you or a family member has been injured in a car accident, you should always seek advice from an experienced car accident attorney. Your attorney has your back and will review all the circumstances of your accident injury case. Car accident attorneys are knowledgeable about all kinds of car accidents and are more likely to spot a scam. Besides being your advocate and protecting your rights, your attorney will help you get the compensation you need and deserve for you damages.
Contact Us
Contact Atlanta car accident attorney Joel Baskin to review your car accident claim. Joel offers a free initial consultation, letting you know the value of your claim and how he can help you recover the compensation you need and deserve.