In most personal insurance cases, no one likes the insurance adjuster including to a degree, the client they’re serving, mainly because they’re only out to help themselves and protect the assets of the company. Insurance adjusters are nonetheless, essential to personal injury because in any case it’s the insurance company that pays out the compensation.
Considering this knowledge, adjusters and investigators become that much more necessary as people also know that they can take advantage of this system. This can be accomplished by two parties making an agreement to stage an accident having one side take the fall with the promise of the other sharing the payout from the settlement.
This action of defrauding insurance companies is exactly what occurred as New Orleans attorney Daniel Keating was indicted in the connection with a staged accident investigation by the U.S Attorney’s Office. The attorney is accused of conspiring to defraud insurance companies and trucking companies by staging tractor-trailer and commercial vehicle accidents. These incidents would occur with a designated “slammer” striking 18-wheelers in their blind spots. These events were also scheduled at night so the possibility of witnesses would be less. Federal officials said that Keating told his clients that they would get more money out of the settlement if they got medical treatment.
Overall, the FBI said that these staged accidents in concert with many others contribute to average people having to pay more for their auto insurance.
“Because of insurance frauds of these types we expect that the average American family incurs between $400 and $700 additional per year on annual premiums because of a host of fraud schemes one of which is certainly staged auto accidents,” said Bryan Vorndran, FBI Special Agent in Charge New Orleans.
Given its impact upon the economy, the FBI got involved especially after a “slammer” by the name of Cornelius Garrison was murdered a few days after the indictment.
While it’s true that nobody likes insurance adjusters or insurance investigators, with cases like these one can also understand the necessity of them. At the end of the day, they exist to protect the assets of the company so regular people won’t have to pay as much for their insurance. While we expect all those who practice law to be trustworthy, it’s guys like these who prove that there are in fact some that can’t be trusted making insurance adjusters and insurance company sanctioned investigators necessary in personal injury cases to balance out any potentially biased perspectives and points of view. If you have a personal injury case contact a personal injury lawyer , like the office of Chicago Workers Compensation Lawyer.
