Michael Sirignano, partner at Rivkind Radler. Courtesy photoIntentionally Caused Motor Vehicle Accidents in the Video Spotlight
The author writes that public awareness of staged motor vehicle accidents has been raised by the viral video of the Belt Parkway crash and the video of a person in a bear costume damaging luxury cars in California, but staged, intentionally-caused losses have been a problem for insurers for a long time.
December 18, 2024 at 10:00 AM
9 minute read
In California, multiple Los Angeles area residents submitted claims to their automobile insurers for damage to their luxury cars allegedly caused by a “bear” that had entered the cars in the San Bernardino Mountains. In support of their claims, the residents submitted video that showed a furry figure entering the side door of the vehicles, including a Rolls Royce, at night, climbing around the backseat and crawling out, damaging the automobiles’ interiors in the process.
However, a California Department of Insurance investigation determined that the bear was actually a person in a bear costume – and four Los Angeles area residents were arrested in November on charges of insurance fraud and conspiracy, according to the California Department of Insurance. See https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/2024/release056-2024.cfm The Department posted the “bear” video online. https://vimeo.com/1029340693/2294a5bc86.
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