The day before my birthday, I had loaded the kids that I had been nannying for the summer into my car and drove them to the mall. We were spending some time outside of the house. Maybe we would find something fun to do and waste a little time. Surprisingly, the seven-year-old boy did not find window shopping any fun and we loaded back in to the car to go home.
The car was an old 1995 Toyota Celica convertible. It was red and was cramped for space given that it only had two doors. The paint was peeling, given that the previous owner had left the car outside all the time; I said that my car was “sunburned.” The most beautiful trait of the car was that it was a stick shift. After many painful experiences attempting to learn stick, I had finally mastered the skill and at this point in time could not imagine driving any other way.
Once the kids climbed into the car, we were ready to leave the “boring” mall. Luckily, I had pulled through the parking spot and the nose of my car was facing the lanes in the parking lot. Next to me, I observed, sat a huge black SUV. I put my car into first gear and began to inch out to see the lane.
This is when it happened.
An old beat up Malibu barreled into the left side of the front of my car. I did not see him until he hit me because of the SUV that was parked next to me. Apparently, he did not see me either. I had barely exited the parking spot when this happened, and he had hit my car so hard that the once vertical car now was diagonal. The whole front bumper on my car had shifted, for a fender bender in the parking lot. After he pushed my car into another parking lot, he proceeded to back up. This should have been my first clue.
I exited my vehicle and began trading information. He walked over to me and immediately starting saying, “You know that I am going to have to tell the insurance company that you pulled out on me, right?” I ignored his statement and called the police for insurance purposes, sadly they did not come to parking lot accidents because it occurred on private property. Even more strange, was that there was another person in the car with his cellphone out the whole time that the other driver and I were talking.
“Kentucky does not have any specific laws that address liability in a parking lot accident. This is complicated by the fact that Kentucky has very specific insurance requirements, in essence requiring that drivers maintain no-fault and liability coverage, which would cover both personal injuries that results from the accident as well as damages to the vehicles involved in the incident.” – KYLawPractice.com
After the information was traded I loaded myself back into the car and took the children home. I called my insurance company and filed a claim to let them know what was going on. I maintained my innocence and told my adjuster that the man was speeding in the parking lot and was not paying attention because he backed out. He agreed with me.
A couple months have passed and still no update from my insurance company. After nine months and hearing nothing, I thought that everything had passed and that the insurance company did not find me at fault, I was wrong. Without warning, they raised my insurance bill by $400. That large amount of money is unusual for an accident that had taken place in a parking lot. When inquiring about why the bill was so high, I found out that it was because the man, who was walking around fine and complaining about no injuries, filed a medical claim for $12,000.
That’s when it hit me. I was scammed.
Staged auto accidents are rapidly growing in the United States. I had been a victim of someone claiming that they were injured when they were not. These con-artists travel in packs and purposely attempt to get hit and file a claim with an insurance company to receive money. The people who have been scammed are then left to deal with the consequences, such as a higher bill, while the scammer makes off with thousands of dollars.
“In any fraudulent accident, you may find yourself on the hook for injuries you didn’t cause. The con artists and their passengers may collaborate with a shady physician or chiropractor and file personal injury claims for phony injuries.” – DMV.org
I believe that I am a victim of these types of accidents. There is nothing I can do, but to wait out the next three years until my insurance will once again claim me as “accident free.” I will have to foot a higher bill twice a year, while the criminal will get away unharmed. Learn to protect yourself from these types of scams or you will be the next victim.
If you or someone you know is going through a similar situation use this website to see what you can do to protect yourself.
