Judge throws out suspect collision cases

by Richard Kilner

Story link: Judge throws out suspect collision cases

A court in Bradford has thrown out the compensation claims of six men suspected of conspiring to cause accidents at Leeds roundabouts.

The suspects have also been ordered to pay their legal fees for their cases.

Between April and August 2004 all six men were involved in highly similar accidents in the vicinity of the White Rose shopping centre. Three accidents took place at the same roundabout, with a fourth occurring at another roundabout close by.

Three of the drivers and three of the passengers issued claims for compensation, though the driver of the fourth vehicle did not attempt to make a claim.

Every case included an identical explanation of the accident, namely that other drivers had pulled out and then slammed on the brakes so that the car behind rammed into the back of braking vehicle.

It was uncovered by Bradford County Court that the men involved, and their associates, had claimed over a quarter of a million pounds in previous cases, some of which was claimed successfully.

The judge decreed that it was beyond coincidence that the accidents occurred in the same location, with the same explanation with the claimants all being from the same area and using the same accident management company.

All but one of the cases were dismissed as the men did not turn up. The man who did attend court lost his case as it was deemed not to be genuine.

Abdul Raziq and one of the other men had already received money from insurers but was ordered to repay it, with interest.

Nowadays it is no longer true that a driver who hits the back of another vehicle is guaranteed to be at fault, Anthony Dale of DWF, explained. Such accidents are increasingly caused intentionally in order for the perpetrators to benefit financially, and creating a safety risk to the public and difficulty for insurers.

Dale added that courts now examine the entire context of such accidents and are better able now to ascertain whether incidents are manufactured or real.