Staged Car Accidents
What is a Staged Car Accident?
A staged car accident takes place when someone “fakes” a car accident so they can collect money from an insurance company for PIP, bodily injury, uninsured motorist, or property damage.
Why Would Someone Stage A Car Accident?
People are motivated to stage car accidents because they want to make money from insurance companies. The people who set the whole thing up are usually paid by a doctor’s office seeking to get compensated from PIP coverage, paid by a lawyer’s office seeking to get compensated from BI or UM coverage, and/or by body shops looking to repair cars.
Types of Staged Car Accidents?
Sometimes people will drive their car into a tree/pole and claim injuries. These people are usually paid by a doctor’s office in exchange for treating at the doctor’s office and billing their PIP insurance. The doctor’s office will usually pay between $500-$2,000 for the ability to bill $10,000 in PIP insurance.
Some people are more sophisticated and will get two cars involved. The first car will usually be stopped, turned off, and unoccupied while the second car is driven by someone who then rams into the first car. After the impact, they have people “jump in” to both cars—each person presenting a PIP claim and some presenting bodily injury/underinsured motorist claims against the at-fault driver.