I just drove a brand-new minivan with 16 miles left from the rental lot. After a short trip down the Vegas Strip, I took a quick left onto a no-name street. I slowly rolled up to stop sign at intersection. Although I didn’t come to a stop completely, I was able to accelerate away slowly. Ouch!! Ouch! The SUV was in a heap, but the driver was even worse.
It was quiet on the street, but it suddenly became bustling with activity. Everyone was shouting “You ran that Stop sign!” It was not right! It was getting ugly, so I kept my mouth shut while waiting for the medics and cops to arrive. They were all calling them. All of them yelled “This guy ran an intersection stop sign, and you have to get here fast, because there’s a man in an SUV that’s dangerously insecure.” He did indeed look terrible. I thought he was going mad.
Although it seemed like it took forever, the cops and ambulance finally arrived. After a few beers, I was able to ride in the back of the police car while the other man went in the ambulance. As I sat in my cell, I felt nervous. “Will you send me to jail?” If this guy dies his family will sue me. How will I pay if he doesn’t? He will be in a coma and not only that, but he will also be paying for the minivan.
Slowly, my thoughts began to turn towards the collision insurance I declined at the time of the rental. I assumed that my car insurance would cover me in the event of an accident. When I was looking for car insurance, I chose the cheapest one I could find. The cheap car insurance I got was going to cost me dearly. The insurance I ended up with wouldn’t even cover a minor accident, let alone two straight offs or a coma.
After hours pass, a detective walks into my cell and smiles. “Thanks!” He says. He says he was after the “crew” who pull car insurance scams for a while. All three of the bystanders, as well as the driver of the SUV, were part of a group that carries out car insurance scams. This scam is called a Tbone. The scammer driver will ram someone through an intersection, forcing you to get into a car accident. All bystanders are part of this scheme, with the payoff being the payment from the other driver’s insurance for medical bills.
The hospital doctors couldn’t find any problems with the driver, other than a few bruises and scratches. Although the blood was fake, his acting was excellent. He was taken into custody by police. A few of his friends who had been “witnesses” were also taken by the cops. The crew had been doing this for some time, maybe too long. It was obvious that it wasn’t paying off for them.
This scamming is a common theme in the world of car insurance frauds. These scams have names that resemble the bands I used to be a part of as a teenager, such as Wave, T-bone and Sideswipe. Or Swoop and Squat. These scams are dangerous and can cause innocent people to die. It also costs honest people money because everyone has to have more insurance.
The two beers in the plane did not show up in the tests for me. However, I had to pay for the minivan that was written off. Not to be confused: A cheap car insurance quote can lead to low-cost car insurance. This is fine when the sun shines and everything is perfect. It’s nice to have a safety net in case of storm clouds gathering and you find yourself on the high wire. Be careful when you travel and avoid scams with car insurance.