According to recent studies, Florida is now the leader in car insurance fraud. Although Florida car insurance fraud is not new, it has risen to new highs, largely due to unemployment and economic woes, according to experts. There are a few types of car insurance fraud schemes that are popular in the state:
1) Abandonment. Some car owners are simply leaving their cars abandoned in remote locations to avoid having to pay the high bills that come with cars. Some owners them claim the cars as stolen to defraud insurance providers.
2) Arson. Some owners are lighting their cars on fire to avoid further payments and in order to recover claim money from insurance providers. The fire, they believe, will eliminate the evidence of fraud, although this is often not the case.
3) Florida car accident fraud. In some cases, fraudsters work with others to stage Florida car accidents in order to fraudulently claim insurance money for non-existent injuries. The National Insurance Crime Bureau reports that between 2007 to 2009 there were 511 staged Miami car accidents and even more such accidents in other Florida states. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, one out of every four staged traffic accidents occurred in Florida.
Florida truck accident and car accident fraud is a serious problem for everyone. Even staged accidents can lead to serious injuries and of course this type of fraud can increase insurance costs for everyone. Plus, there are often innocent victims in these fraud schemes who are accused of causing an accident when in fact they did not. Worse, people who genuinely sustain a Florida spinal cord injury or another serious injury in a car accident often have a harder time recovering their claims because insurance providers are on the alert for fraud.
If you have been injured in a Florida car accident, contact the Flaxman Law Group. Our experienced team has helped many traffic accident survivors in Miami, Homestead, Hollywood, and surrounding areas. We may be able to help you with advice and negotiation, to ensure that you get the support and resources you need to recover from your accident.