While the majority of us are honest drivers, there are people out there who will put the lives of others at risk just to pull off staged auto accidents. These accidents are caused on purpose in order to try to get large sums of money from your auto insurance. Some of the more common types of staged accidents include:

• The Sideswipe: This type of staged accident occurs where there are dual turn lanes. Drivers attempting to cause these accidents will purposely sideswipe vehicles in the other lane. Then they will report to the police that you were the one that crossed over into their lane.

• The Drive Down: You need to merge into traffic, like when getting onto the highway. A dishonest driver will flash their lights or wave you into the lane and then allow you to crash your vehicle into theirs. When the police arrive, they deny ever signaling for you to merge over.
• The Panic Stop: This type of staged accident is where the vehicle’s driver in front of you will slam on the brakes as soon as you appear distracted. The vehicle you hit is typically filled with passengers, so each one can make a personal injury claim against your insurance.
• The Swoop and Squat: There are several variations of this type of staged accident. It typically involves two “criminal” vehicles. The first one pulls in front of you and is the squat vehicle. The second one, the swoop vehicle, pulls in front of the squat vehicle to make it appear like the squat vehicle had to slam on their brakes, which causes you to rear-end them.
• The Friendly Stranger: You may be approached by a “friendly” person who offers to wave you out of a parking spot or help you when backing up or parallel parking. Their goal is to distract you so their partner can hit your car with theirs, then claim you are at fault.
• The Friendly Bystander: After a staged accident, you might be approached by a person offering to help you get medical care at a specific clinic, call a specific towing company, or recommend a repair shop or specific accident injury lawyer to use. The result could be false and excessive insurance claims and other fraudulent activities.

Protecting Yourself from Becoming a Victim of Staged Auto Accidents

The best way to protect yourself is to practice safe driving habits all the time. You want to maintain safe following distances and be aware of the other drivers around you. If you suspect someone is attempting to stage an accident, call 911 and report them right away.

If you are involved in a staged accident, make sure to record videos and take pictures on your smartphone. Often the so-called “victims” put on a show when police arrive and feign their injuries. Better yet, have a dash cam installed and have it recording whenever you drive. The dash cam will record what occurred and can make it more difficult for criminals to get away with staged accidents.

Should you be involved in an accident caused by another person, whether staged or real, you need to find out your legal rights by speaking to an auto and motorcycle accident attorney at Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. Call our Houston TX auto accidents law firm now at 713.574.5089 for a free consultation!