Elk Grove Staged Car Accident
If you have ever been involved in a car accident or even been a passenger in one, you know how frightening the situation can be. What if you discovered the accident had actually been “staged or set up?” Imagine for a moment that you are being placed at fault in one of these types of accidents.
Criminal Conspiracies
Staged auto accidents are conspiracies of a criminal nature and are very serious. They usually involve more than one suspect. The victims are drivers of the other car who have intentionally been targeted and hit by the suspect(s). These suspects commit staged or set up accidents strictly for financial gain. It is one of the more common forms of insurance fraud. We will describe common forms of staged accidents below.
Most Common forms of this kind of accident
Swoop and Squat: This usually involves two suspects. Each of them is driving a separate car. Most of the time, these individuals stake out a late model car being occupied by a single victim. They do this so the victim has no witness to the accident. The squat car usually has two suspects in it. The squat car moves right in front of the victim’s car. This car then slows to close the gap between the cars. A swoop car quickly changes lanes in front of the squat car and stops without warning. This forces the squat car to stop, which causes the victim to rear-end the squat car. The swoop car immediately leaves the scene. The suspects in the squat car will often indicate that an unknown car “came from out of nowhere” and stopped, forcing them to suddenly have to brake. All parties in the squat car will present injury claims. Another payday for the crooks.
Drive Down – Wave On: The suspect(s) involved in this kind of crash often enter a parking lot entrance or intersection after yielding the right-of-way to the innocent victim usually by waving them ahead. As the unsuspecting victim proceeds into the intersection or parking lot, the suspect purposely speeds up and hits the victim’s car. Like the swoop and squat technique, the suspects usually try to target a victim driving alone in their car.
In the Youtube video below, you will see for yourself how this type of criminal conspiracy takes place against an unassuming driver. Seeing this kind of incident take place on video brings light to a very disturbing crime.
The Edward A Smith Law Offices has put together a list of helpful precautions you may wish to take to avoid an Elk Grove staged car accident:
- Always be aware of your surroundings. Notice the cars around you, including those ahead of the car in front of you.
- Allow lots of room between you and other cars.
- Refrain from driving while stressed or tired. This will make you less vulnerable when driving.
- Be mindful not to talk on your cell phone, eat, text or study a map while driving. Avoid all distractions and concentrate on the road.
- If you get in an accident, move your car off the busy roadway if it is safe to so. Let the other parties know you are moving your car to a safer spot. Don’t go too far.
- Whether or not you believe the accident is staged or not, take good pictures of all cars involved. Remember to take photos of the driver and passengers
- Try to get independent witness statements. Exchange information.
- If you think you were involved in a staged accident, contact Elk Police Department right away.
If you think you may have been the victim of an Elk Grove staged auto accident, please contact Elk Grove Police Department right away at (916) 478-800. Your next step would be to contact an experienced accident lawyer who is trained to spot and detect these types of cases.
Elk Grove Personal Injury Lawyer
Hello. I’m Ed Smith. I am an Elk Grove Personal Injury Lawyer. I’ve been helping victims of traffic collisions throughout the Elk Grove area and northern California for over 3 decades. If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident, call me right away. You may reach me at my Elk Grove office at (916) 694-0002. I’m happy to go over your case with you and provide friendly, free advice.
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Photo Attribution: By Eddie Maloney of No. Las Vegas, USA (FENDER BENDER), via Wikimedia Commons Public Domain