The number of "crash for cash" car insurance scams uncovered by a major insurer surged by 51% annually last year. Aviva said it had detected around 820 staged accidents in 2013, leading to some 2,200 fraudulent personal injury claims. It is pressing for tougher penalties and said that often, rather than being locked up, fraudsters [...]
"This is where they put a rod in, obviously the one back here is where the blade cut across my arm," says April Wheeler, showing how much progress she's made over the last nine months. "Everyday I have to look at that and remember the choices you make and remember that day," she says. It [...]
One way is to lend Google Glass to personal injury clients so that they can communicate with their lawyers via Glass to show how their daily lives are affected by their injury. A law firm in Phoenix, Arizona, is operating a pilot scheme with Google Glass, and is looking for ways of using these communications [...]
According to Aviva it is becoming one of the most common types of fraud in the UK and that motor injury fraud now accounts for 54 percent of their total detected claims fraud cost. Over half are from smash for cash claims. ‘Flash for cash’ is another more recent variation of the scam where the [...]
A personal injury claim topping £54k has been stopped in its tracks by motor fraud specialists Asset Protection Unit (APU). The incident involving a flatbed lorry and a vehicle fitted with an In-Car Cleverness (ICC) telematics device was analysed prior to a County Court hearing where the claim was terminated. The ICC telematics device enabled [...]
A man sat on a bollard during a shopping trip to Cork City only to find it disappear into the ground without warning, throwing him on to his back. Harry Peglar’s injuries resulted in a €7,500 award against Cork City Council yesterday. “I sat on the bollard [for] a couple of minutes and I didn’t [...]
The Association of British Insurers’ head of motor and liability James Dalton asked whether injured people should actually be provided solely with rehabilitation rather than receiving an award of damages. He said: “We need a debate about whether someone should be awarded money for a low-value, low-impact and very minor injury claims. It’s a debate [...]
A surge in so-called "cash for crash" scams and fraudulent whiplash injury claims is being blamed for a sharp rise in insurance fraud detected by Britain's biggest insurer. Aviva said it discovered more than £110m worth of fraud in 2013 – up 19% on the previous year – and that it was currently uncovering 45 [...]
Following the mountain's deadliest disaster, many Sherpas have started descending from Everest Base Camp in a walkout, forcing companies to cancel their planned expeditions. The walkout is certain to disrupt a climbing season that was already marked by grief following Friday's disaster. Sherpa guides were hauling climbing gear between camps when a chunk of ice [...]
Last year, the NFL agreed to settle a concussion lawsuit filed by former players for $914 million. As concussion-related lawsuits continue to be filed against professional sports teams, equivalent claims and litigation will soon be seen in a variety of youth sports and non-professional organized sports leagues, according to partner Robin Dusek, a member of [...]