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In-car camera foils whiplash scammer

In-car video footage has captured the moment a driver collided with a lorry in an apparent whiplash scam. In the aftermath of the crash, the driver of the Ford Galaxy blamed the lorry driver for the accident, despite having swerved across three lanes of traffic into the lorry’s path.

Occupants of the vehicle then filed a total of four whiplash claims, leaving the lorry company with a potential insurance bill of up to £75,000.

Sadly for the would-be scammers, the lorry had been fitted with a Smart Witness video recorder, which captured the true cause of the crash; the recklessness of the Ford Galaxy driver. In the footage, the driver of the people carrier can clearly be seen accelerating quickly towards a line of slower traffic in the overtaking lane. He then reacts too slowly when others brake up ahead, eventually swerving across three lanes of traffic and into the path of the lorry. 

The occupants of the Galaxy later claimed the truck driver was at fault for rear-ending them. However video footage from the Smart Witness clearly shows the lorry driver was not guilty of any wrongdoing. 

Fraudsters that claim for personal injury using ‘cash for crash’ scams are a blight on the insurance industry. According to the AA, since 2006 there has been a 60 per cent rise in the number of personal injury claims, despite the number of reported accidents on UK roads having fallen by 20 per cent over the same period.

Smart Witness managing director Simon Marsh said his company had seen a surge in demand due to the on-going problems of bogus whiplash claims.

He said: “This is 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.”

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