Any recourse for PI scammers?
Discussion
Don’t want to go into to much detail just yet but FIL gave someone a love tap from behind , impact was so significant that when he showed us photos of his and the other car we couldn’t see where there was any impact. In a nutshell if the other car was a meter further ahead they wouldn’t have touched 
Not disputing for one second FIL should have left a bigger gap etc and happily take the blame, however what followed 2 days later was the usual solicitors letter claiming for injuries. Our insurers contacted us and asked for photos of the cars as we had already said we wouldn’t be claiming due to there being pretty much zero damage to his 66 plate vehicle apart from cracked number plate . The injuries being claimed for are ridiculous and to the point it has caught everyone’s attention and our ins co have set their legal team on it. As well as the PI claim there is also hire car costs being claimed too.
Thankfully our insurance are fighting the PI and hire car claims but what happens to the claimant when this gets proved as a fraudulent claim (not the accident and repairs to car) ? Do they get charged with fraud or something? Ironically given who they work for I thought they would be the last people to try it on !
Not disputing for one second FIL should have left a bigger gap etc and happily take the blame, however what followed 2 days later was the usual solicitors letter claiming for injuries. Our insurers contacted us and asked for photos of the cars as we had already said we wouldn’t be claiming due to there being pretty much zero damage to his 66 plate vehicle apart from cracked number plate . The injuries being claimed for are ridiculous and to the point it has caught everyone’s attention and our ins co have set their legal team on it. As well as the PI claim there is also hire car costs being claimed too.
Thankfully our insurance are fighting the PI and hire car claims but what happens to the claimant when this gets proved as a fraudulent claim (not the accident and repairs to car) ? Do they get charged with fraud or something? Ironically given who they work for I thought they would be the last people to try it on !
Very little sadly. This is why they do it, no real fear of punishment if the lose.
My ex years ago was driving my Focus, went into the back of someone that suddenly braked on the slip road going on to the M4 for no reason.
Same as you, virtually no damage to either car, however 5 people of Indian descent got out immediately holding their necks. To demonstrate how slight the impact was, I was asleep in the passenger seat and only woke up when she tapped my shoulder. I am a very light sleeper at the best of times...
Yep they paid out sadly. £5k ish I think. I tried to fight it but my insurance didnt want to know.
That was 2005. Hopefully things are a bit stricter now.
My ex years ago was driving my Focus, went into the back of someone that suddenly braked on the slip road going on to the M4 for no reason.
Same as you, virtually no damage to either car, however 5 people of Indian descent got out immediately holding their necks. To demonstrate how slight the impact was, I was asleep in the passenger seat and only woke up when she tapped my shoulder. I am a very light sleeper at the best of times...
Yep they paid out sadly. £5k ish I think. I tried to fight it but my insurance didnt want to know.
That was 2005. Hopefully things are a bit stricter now.
It was the greed that has started proceedings. Our Ins co said if he went for the bog standard whiplash they would have just cut him a cheque there and then as it’s way easier and cheaper than fighting it. Unfortunately for them greed got the betterer of their judgement and all kinds of alarm bells started ringing. I only wish these bogus claims were then turned into fraud prosecutions
I will keep this updated.
I will keep this updated.
Lady I work with was hit in the rear in a v. low speed incident. No damage to her car, none to car that hit her, so didn't bother exchanging details and both went on their merry way. Later that day she felt her neck stiffening up so had to leave early. Next morning was in agony. Ended up off work for about 10 days (self employed contractor so unpaid).
So there is another side to these things.
So there is another side to these things.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Lady I work with was hit in the rear in a v. low speed incident. No damage to her car, none to car that hit her, so didn't bother exchanging details and both went on their merry way. Later that day she felt her neck stiffening up so had to leave early. Next morning was in agony. Ended up off work for about 10 days (self employed contractor so unpaid).
So there is another side to these things.
There is, however the human neck seems to have become incredibly fragile in the past decade, as have cars which can no longer be driven after a 2 mph "crash"So there is another side to these things.
Ex-colleague. Really nice convivial guy. Tapped behind by a van driver with only superficial paint damage and turned into a moneygrabbing whinging pain monster. He used to smirk at us when we took the piss out of him. He knew and we knew that he was taking the piss. But 3 grand talks.
I don’t agree with it but I can see how people start these claims.
I think a lot of motorists feel ripped of by insurance companies in general, fee for this fee for that. Oh look the prices has gone up again. I’ve never made a claim but speaking to people who have, more often than not (not always thought) it’s a pain in the ass, they try to lowball your settlement and generally treat you poorly.
Ultimately people must think well they have had me over for the last xx years so here’s my chance to get my own back.
I’m not condoning it in any way but it must be tempting when you think. Well they have had 1000s of pounds out of me so let’s return the favour.
I think a lot of motorists feel ripped of by insurance companies in general, fee for this fee for that. Oh look the prices has gone up again. I’ve never made a claim but speaking to people who have, more often than not (not always thought) it’s a pain in the ass, they try to lowball your settlement and generally treat you poorly.
Ultimately people must think well they have had me over for the last xx years so here’s my chance to get my own back.
I’m not condoning it in any way but it must be tempting when you think. Well they have had 1000s of pounds out of me so let’s return the favour.
MB140 said:
I don’t agree with it but I can see how people start these claims.
I think a lot of motorists feel ripped of by insurance companies in general, fee for this fee for that. Oh look the prices has gone up again. I’ve never made a claim but speaking to people who have, more often than not (not always thought) it’s a pain in the ass, they try to lowball your settlement and generally treat you poorly.
Ultimately people must think well they have had me over for the last xx years so here’s my chance to get my own back.
I’m not condoning it in any way but it must be tempting when you think. Well they have had 1000s of pounds out of me so let’s return the favour.
There is a lot of truth in this. If people were told you could have £3 grand for essentially nothing, how many would turn it down?I think a lot of motorists feel ripped of by insurance companies in general, fee for this fee for that. Oh look the prices has gone up again. I’ve never made a claim but speaking to people who have, more often than not (not always thought) it’s a pain in the ass, they try to lowball your settlement and generally treat you poorly.
Ultimately people must think well they have had me over for the last xx years so here’s my chance to get my own back.
I’m not condoning it in any way but it must be tempting when you think. Well they have had 1000s of pounds out of me so let’s return the favour.
KungFuPanda said:
fastbikes76 said:
In a nutshell if the other car was a meter further ahead they wouldn’t have touched
Alternatively if the FiL was a metre further behind, they would'n't have touched!I managed to roll a van after hitting black ice, and then a phone pole. I was a bit battered and bruised but rocked up to work two days later. I get whip lash is real, I Just wish not every single person who gets nudged at 5mph suddenly gets this injury. It just seems ‘money for nothing and everyone else claims so why shouldn’t I ?’
Russian Troll Bot said:
MB140 said:
I don’t agree with it but I can see how people start these claims.
I think a lot of motorists feel ripped of by insurance companies in general, fee for this fee for that. Oh look the prices has gone up again. I’ve never made a claim but speaking to people who have, more often than not (not always thought) it’s a pain in the ass, they try to lowball your settlement and generally treat you poorly.
Ultimately people must think well they have had me over for the last xx years so here’s my chance to get my own back.
I’m not condoning it in any way but it must be tempting when you think. Well they have had 1000s of pounds out of me so let’s return the favour.
There is a lot of truth in this. If people were told you could have £3 grand for essentially nothing, how many would turn it down?I think a lot of motorists feel ripped of by insurance companies in general, fee for this fee for that. Oh look the prices has gone up again. I’ve never made a claim but speaking to people who have, more often than not (not always thought) it’s a pain in the ass, they try to lowball your settlement and generally treat you poorly.
Ultimately people must think well they have had me over for the last xx years so here’s my chance to get my own back.
I’m not condoning it in any way but it must be tempting when you think. Well they have had 1000s of pounds out of me so let’s return the favour.
fastbikes76 said:
I managed to roll a van after hitting black ice, and then a phone pole. I was a bit battered and bruised but rocked up to work two days later. I get whip lash is real, I Just wish not every single person who gets nudged at 5mph suddenly gets this injury. It just seems ‘money for nothing and everyone else claims so why shouldn’t I ?’
If someone else had caused you to have that accident, I bet you would have put in an injury claim! If I was in a no fault accident that left my van looking like that, and I was battered and bruised, I bloody would.whiplash from rear impact in modern cars really isn't real. it is why they put head rests on cars 40 years ago.
Sit in your car properly, seat in right place, and get wacked from behind, and your head will hit the headrest and not cause whiplash.
side impact, yes that can cause and issue. It's b
ks, we all know it is.
Sit in your car properly, seat in right place, and get wacked from behind, and your head will hit the headrest and not cause whiplash.
side impact, yes that can cause and issue. It's b
ks, we all know it is. herewego said:
You must have to tell quite a few lies to get it though surely?
A mate of mine had an accident in which he was slightly injured but the medical professional appointed by the claims company produced a report which was a tissue of lies, grossly exaggerating the extent of his injuries. He refused to accept it.TwigtheWonderkid said:
If someone else had caused you to have that accident, I bet you would have put in an injury claim! If I was in a no fault accident that left my van looking like that, and I was battered and bruised, I bloody would.
I wouldn’t have, and didn’t when an old boy smashed into me side on 5 years ago. I did actually suffer major whiplash during that one and spent just over £1200 on physio therapy last year due to ongoing back and neck issues.... didn’t stick a claim in for that one either . CanAm said:
herewego said:
You must have to tell quite a few lies to get it though surely?
A mate of mine had an accident in which he was slightly injured but the medical professional appointed by the claims company produced a report which was a tissue of lies, grossly exaggerating the extent of his injuries. He refused to accept it.CanAm said:
A mate of mine had an accident in which he was slightly injured but the medical professional appointed by the claims company produced a report which was a tissue of lies, grossly exaggerating the extent of his injuries. He refused to accept it.
You would hope a medical proffesional could be reported, with a risk of being struck off.I've had two crashes in my lotus, both non fault. One at the front, one at the rear. I actually had slight neck pain the day after the second one and got talked into making a claim as the company apparently worked with my insurer. Once I looked into the company and the pressure they put me under by sending a letter to be signed by a personal courier the very next day I decided no to persue the claim any further. I'd rather suffer a little bit of pain than line the pockets of these parasitic ambulance chasers.
People at work thought I was mad not to get my free couple of grand. Then again I work in Birmingham with people whose cultural backgrounds have no qualms in ripping others off.
People at work thought I was mad not to get my free couple of grand. Then again I work in Birmingham with people whose cultural backgrounds have no qualms in ripping others off.
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