Should I lie to the insurance company??? Please help me :(?

by **cruz50** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 3:12 am

Last month I was following my best friend to a restaurant after our high school choir show. We're both 17. And he got to a yellow light and slammed his breaks so I rear ended him and totaled my small car on his huge truck. So yes i am aware that it was my fault. Now he had one passenger, another good friend of mine. And when another one of our friends pulled up IN HIS OWN TRUCK he got out and helped me. Now when the police came to file the report my friend,the other driver, claimed that both of my other friends were passengers. I thought he was just freaking out and misspoke.. But they all went with it. So now he's asking me to lie for him because if the insurance and police finds out that he lied he could get into serious trouble and he's literally the only person I have so I don't want to burn this bridge. But I don't want to lie either. BUT I'm pissed because they all,including the one that wasn't in the car, are filing a claim for personal injuries. Which is bullshit since I know they're fine..especially the one that wasn't even in the car. So please what should I do????

P.s. if someone could explain what a claim for injuries means that would be really appreciated... Are they technically suing me? How will it affect me financially?

by **alburt** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 3:18 am

WOW at 17 you should already know between right and wrong. You are asking if you should continue to lie because you don't want to burn a "bridge" with a friend?? It's just common sense if you know it's wrong then it's wrong. The insurance company will find out the truth and when they do you will be in serious trouble. You can possibly face a fine and even jail time.

Claims for injuries-your "friends" that "claim" to have been passengers are trying to collect money for injuries that they don't have.
Yes they are suing you. Although your insurance company will be defending you. If for any reason the supposed injuries they sustain are beyond the policy limits on your auto insurance they can sue you personally. Well not you, per say because you're a minor. They can sue your parents/legal guardian.

I would hope that at 17 you have some common sense and know that being honest is your best bet. Don't mess around with this because at the end it can get a lot worse.

by **jabarl** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 3:19 am

Michelle,

With friends like these you don't need enemies.

"So now he's asking me to lie for him because if the insurance and police finds out that he lied he could get into serious trouble" - What about you? If the police find out you lied then you're the one in serious trouble.

The fact that you are having doubts tells me you already know the answer to your question. Tell the truth. It's not only the right thing to do it will make you feel a lot better about yourself.

by **anson34** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 3:21 am

Michelle,

With friends like these you don't need enemies.

"So now he's asking me to lie for him because if the insurance and police finds out that he lied he could get into serious trouble" - What about you? If the police find out you lied then you're the one in serious trouble.

The fact that you are having doubts tells me you already know the answer to your question. Tell the truth. It's not only the right thing to do it will make you feel a lot better about yourself.

No you should not lie.

Your "friend" chose to lie. He chose to commit 2 crimes - 1. lying to the police officer ( a false police report) and lying to the insurance company (insurance fraud).

Now your "friend" is asking you to lie. He wants you to commit a crime too.

Your insurance will pay for the injuries. It's the same as if your "friend" and his 2 buddies took money out of your pocket and putting into theirs. They did not care about your friendship when they decided to file false insurance claims against your policy. Apparently you and your friendship don't mean very much to them.

The guy who drove up later is known as a "jump in passenger". He was probably called by your buddy to come down and make a false insurance claim against you.

Some friend they are.

A claim for injuries means that they say that your negligent actions caused them physical injuries. As a result, they want your insurance policy to pay them for their medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering.

If the insurance company can not resolve the claim with them....then they will sue you and expect you to lie in a court. The law suit will read: Friend do vs YOU (and your parents if it's their car and their car insurance). The law suit does not mention the insurance company. It's not against the company. It's against you and your parents (if it's their car).

How can it affect you (and your parents)? If they get a judgment in excess of your policy limits then they can take your personal assets.

At the very least, your insurance rates are going to skyrocket.

But hey, you lied and committed a crime and let your friends make some money off it. You can think about that each time you write a check for your increased insurance premium.

This bridge is already burned. Your "friend" did that when he lied and said you injured him. He torched it a second time when he allowed/called his buddy who was not even in the car so he could be a "jump in" passenger.

Your "friends" are defrauding you. They are stealing from you and asking you to help them do it.

If they asked you to help them rob a bank....would you do it? That's a crime too. Folks just don't think of insurance fraud as a crime. But it is. And what your "friends" are doing is Insurance Fraud. Especially the jump in passenger.

With "friends" like these....who needs enemies?

Perhaps it's time you re-evaluated this friendship. I'm sure you can find another friend who actually values your friendship.

by **baigh** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 3:22 am

I wouldn't let them claim personal injury especially if they weren't even in the car it could possibly bite you in the *** in the future plus I would wonder if their really your friends or just using you because their are such things as personal injury lawsuits if you search online not sure if that would relate to this situation or not though. Anyways wait for more responses :/

by **winfrid12** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 3:24 am

Lying on an insurance claim is insurance fraud and the penalty is up to 10 years in prison. Besides the fact that your insurance premium will increase if their insurance claim exceeds your insurance limits your parents will have to pay them out of pocket.

A claim for injuries means they want to be paid money to compensate them for their pain. Technically they're not suing you, they're suing your parents who are legally and financially responsible for anything you do.

by **gall** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 3:28 am

Poster MSAD is completely correct.

The question I have for you is, have you told your insurance company that there were 2 or 1 passengers in your friends car? As a general rule, after an accident, all adjusters will take recorded statements of each driver and passengers if injured, so by being recorded is "evidence" if they find out later that someone lies. The police report will have on record that the other driver stated 2 passengers and also most likely show the passengers names, especially if at the scene they "claimed" injuries.

Since you are only age 17, most companies will not take statements unless a parent is also on the phone while taking the recorded statement, or get permission from a parent to do so 1st. Since this happened last month, I am guessing you have already given a statement and if you agreed that there were 2 passengers vs only 1, you now have lied to the insurance company and by not stating anything at the scene, have in effect lied to the officer by not correcting it.

For your friends to claim injuries, in most cases, they will have to seek medical treatment. Whenever you go to a doctor or ER, the 1st question they ask you what happened and how did you get injured. Most people who are injured, will say, I was in an accident on such and such date and since then, have been having pains, so then the doctor knows where to start on the exam and options to treat. Some times, the adjuster will pull those medical reports if they suspect fraud to see what they say, or even get past medical records to see if claimed prior.

But if your friends only claim to be hurt and do not seek medical treatment, then it is possible they will get nothing. But it depends on each company on their procedure. Some will pay with no treatment to close out the file, whereas others wont pay a dime.

I suggest you fess up and very quickly.

good luck

by **calin** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 3:38 am

No. Lying is immoral and illegal.

And no matter which faith you subscribe to - you will reap what you sow. What comes around, goes around. You'll get what you deserve. You'll be repaid threefold.

When they're filing a claim for injuries. that means, they're planning to SUE YOU. Why in the world would you go along with that???

by **emek** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 3:55 am

No. Lying is immoral and illegal.

And no matter which faith you subscribe to - you will reap what you sow. What comes around, goes around. You'll get what you deserve. You'll be repaid threefold.

When they're filing a claim for injuries. that means, they're planning to SUE YOU. Why in the world would you go along with that???

NO! because if they find out you lied you will be arrested!!

by **winwood** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 4:02 am

Don't lie to the insurance company because if they find out they could deny the claim and then you would be personally liable for the damages of your" supposedly friends". If the insurance company denies the claim or can not reach an agreeable settlement with your friend's attorney then they will have to sue "you", not the insurance. The insurance will defend you in court and indemnify you for the damages as long as you are honest with them. Your friends are committing insurance fraud by claiming injuries when they were not hurt and by asking you to include a person who was not involved in the accident.

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