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Faking Accident Injury: Bad Idea for Settlements

Why Faking an Injury Ends Up Actually Hurting People

Dishonest people out trying to make a fast buck don’t see the forest through the trees. They don’t realize that not only will they likely get caught but their deceptive behavior causes everyone’s insurance premiums to increase. Insurance companies don’t have to be victims of fraud more than once to implement protective measures in their premiums. Also, carrying out an auto accident to cause damage requires someone else to be involved, an innocent party who needs to crash into their car in order to create the accident. This type of behavior is not only a criminal offense but extremely dangerous because people actually do get hurt or killed. Some more elaborate fraud schemes also involve physicians who will validate someone’s phony injury. If caught, these physicians risk losing their medical license and other criminal charges.

Reasons for Phony Insurance Claims

According to an April 28, 2009 article published by Reuters, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reports phony insurance claims are on the rise, likely to due our country’s dismal economy. The Bureau reports that claims for slip and fall injuries have increased by sixty percent. As financially strapped as some people may be, crime is never the answer. To repeat a popular phrase, "crime doesn’t pay". Fake injury claims end up only achieving higher insurance premiums for everybody.

The San Francisco personal injury lawyers Brownstein Thomas, LLP, 877.214.9714, offer legal advice to their clients on how to obtain legitimate recoveries and appropriate settlements.