Moment motorist swerves in front of lorry driver on busy motorway to claim £75,000 for whiplash in 'crash for cash' scam
- Video shows Ford Galaxy veering over three lanes of traffic on M25
- Goes in front of HGV and causes it to slam on brakes before crashing
- Occupants filed four whiplash claims totalling £75,000 after 'accident'
- But footage from truck proves car had deliberately driven into its path
This shocking footage reveals the moment a brazen motorist swerved in front of a lorry driver on a busy motorway in an attempt to claim £75,000 for whiplash injuries in an insurance scam.
The video shows the Ford Galaxy veering over three lanes of traffic on the M25, in front of the HGV, causing it to slam on its brakes before crashing into the back of the car.
But the occupants filed four whiplash claims, totalling up to £75,000, following the ‘accident’ - claiming the smash was the lorry driver’s fault.
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Crash: The video shows the Ford Galaxy veering over three lanes of traffic on the M25, in front of the HGV
Swerving: The car's occupants filed four whiplash claims, totalling up to £75,000, following the 'accident'
The insurance nightmare only ended when the footage, captured by the truck’s on board camera, proved the car had deliberately driven into its path.
Simon Marsh, managing director of SmartWitness, which supply the cameras, said he had seen a huge surge in demand due to the on-going problems of bogus whiplash claims.
He said: ‘This is a real problem, particularly for hauliers and fleet managers who are running large numbers of vehicles and could be targeted by these fraudsters every week.
‘This new video perfectly illustrates the problems responsible motorists face.
‘The lorry driver was travelling well within the speed limit when the people carrier swerved directly in front of him to avoid hitting another car in the fast lane.
‘The haulier was very surprised to be on the receiving end of a four whiplash claims for £75,000.
‘Drivers can often feel like they are on shaky ground when they go into the back of another vehicle, particularly if there are no reliable witness to explain what happened.
Video: The insurance nightmare ended when the footage proved the car had deliberately driven into its path
Hit: As the Galaxy had been hit from behind the occupants pressed ahead with their whiplash claims
‘Blame is nearly always attached to the driver who hits the vehicle from the rear. However, in this case, there was a reliable witness, the SmartWitness camera.
‘It showed that the lorry driver was blameless and the occupants of the Galaxy had a real cheek blaming him for what happened.'
'This is a real problem, particularly for hauliers and fleet managers who are running large numbers of vehicles and could be targeted by these fraudsters every week'
Simon Marsh, SmartWitness
The video shows the Galaxy speeding past the lorry, which is travelling at 55mph in the slow lane of the M25.
The people carrier reacts too slowly to deal with oncoming queuing traffic and brakes violently. It then swerves across three lanes and into an unavoidable collision with the blameless truck driver.
As the Galaxy had been hit from behind the occupants pressed ahead with their whiplash claims.
Around 550,000 whiplash claims are filed annually in the UK. But insurance experts estimate around 60 per cent are ‘cash for crash’ scams, netting up to £1billion a year.
The shocking figures were given to MPs by insurers who said the UK had now become the ‘whiplash capital of the world’
Problem: Whiplash claims, boosted by no-win, no-fee claims, are adding up to £90 to the average UK policy
Rising issue: SmartWitness said it has seen a huge surge in demand for its cameras due to the on-going problems of bogus whiplash claims
According to The AA, since 2006 there has been a 60 per cent rise in the number of personal injury claims while the number of reported accidents on UK roads has fallen by 20 per cent over the same period.
Fraudsters running ‘cash for crash’ scams, which stage fake car crashes and then file claims for personal injury and damage to their vehicles, have also blighted the insurance industry.
'It showed that the lorry driver was blameless and the occupants of the Galaxy had a real cheek blaming him for what happened'
Simon Marsh, SmartWitness
Whiplash claims, boosted by no-win, no-fee claims, are adding up to £90 to the average UK policy.
Sales of Smart Witness incident cameras have soared by 40 per cent in the last year as motorists protect themselves against the danger of bogus whiplash claims.
But many motorists have been able to reduce their premiums after fitting the cameras.
The cameras - similar to a black box journey recorder - fit onto the windscreen, and are powered through the car’s cigarette lighter or can be directly wired in.
They record the driver’s view of the road ahead and also monitor the car’s location, speed, breaking and impact G-forces. If a motorist is innocent in an accident, this is all the proof they will need.
The haulage firm concerned did not involve the police and the four ‘whiplash scam’ perpetrators - who dropped the claim - were not prosecuted for fraud.
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