To some degree, there will always be people faking injuries, attempting to commit fraud, and doctors who are caught up in these issues. Doctors, however, hardly ever encourage patients to go and report fake injuries. The downside is that doctors only have the patient’s word to go off of and then diagnostic testing.
Going through and understanding fake injuries requires some deeper level of understanding, especially when it pertains to personal injury and car accident claims. If your insurance company thinks you’re trying to fake your injuries, get in touch with an experienced Houston injury attorney right away.
Popular Fake Injuries
The injury that has the most well-known reputation for being a “fake” injury is whiplash. Whiplash is a soft tissue injury, and it’s raised suspicions about the remainder of soft tissue injuries. While some can be seen with diagnostic imaging techniques, often, if a person reports pain, then a doctor will diagnose it as soft tissue damage, a strain, or something similar.
When people are looking for fake injuries to report, they’ll go through and try to find injuries that are difficult, if not impossible, to prove with more than simple information from the patient. For example, a person can report that they have anxiety, and the doctor cannot perform a blood test or imaging assessment to confirm that anxiety. That doesn’t mean that people don’t leave car accidents or dog bite incidents without a new and life-impacting level of anxiety.
How Insurance Companies Spot Scams
Insurance companies understand that the patient’s word is not always reliable and that the doctors involved can only confirm injuries to a specific point. So what they often try to do is to catch people in an action that nullifies their claim. The anxiety example above might call for a private investigator to showcase that the alleged victim was able to get in their car and drive to various locations for recreational purposes. That would reduce the chance of their claim being seen as valid.
Insurance companies will often hire their own investigators and sometimes will have the claimant put under surveillance. However, they may also rely on the medical team to poke holes in the logic of their findings. For example, they may report that the soft tissue injury was substantial but wouldn’t call for time spent off work.
Do Doctors Contribute to Claims for Fake Injuries?
To a degree, doctors do contribute to fake claims and claims of fake injuries. But often, all they can do is review the symptoms with the patients. If a person comes in complaining of stiffness in their neck, then a doctor who doesn’t question may be contributing to a false claim.
However, it is difficult to say that doctors intentionally contribute to fake injuries. The issue that many people aren’t aware of is the danger that comes with wearing a brace, or “babying” a fake injure. A person wearing a brace that they don’t need could, in turn, take on soft tissue damage, or injure themselves by immobilizing a part of their body.
Other Personal Injuries and Fraud Suspicions
Fake injuries and accidents cost car insurance providers and the medical industry billions each year. That’s why they keep such a sharp eye out for any suspicious activity. They act in fact and don’t take fraud suspicion lightly. However, it’s usually the victim of the crash that ends up paying the real price.
Staged accidents and fraudulent claims are often put against the victim of the crash in an effort for the con-artist to get as much out of the case as possible. The con-artist appears as the victim of the crash, except they likely took steps ahead of time to make the crash happen in a way that made it seem like they were not at fault.
What the real victim, the injured person who was caught in the crossfire of a scam, needs are a skilled attorney to fight for their side.
Should You Get a Texas Personal Injury Attorney to Manage Your Case?
Typically if you’re facing any suspicion of fraud for your injury, then you should retain a Houston personal injury law firm. That attorney should be local and should provide you with support throughout the entirety of the process. Essentially you’re paying someone to be in your corner, but often with personal injury claims, the victim’s voice is heard last and regarded least.
Instead, the attorneys and insurance companies involved will go through the medical evidence and suspect that there’s something off in most cases. At McDonald Worley, our attorneys stand up for you and explain that your injuries are serious and not something to be taken lightly.