This issue we begin a two-part series on no-fault insurance fraud. I touched on the problem last summer in this column, noting that the Legislature in New York should set aside its differences and pass at least the most obvious beneficial measures, such as a runners law. As of now, however, the story in New York remains the inability to get these reforms onto the Governors desk.

Prosecution of insurance fraud perpetrators, meanwhile, continues to be robust thanks to continued coordination between the industry, the Insurance Department, and law enforcement.

We have all likely heard about the tragic story of Alice Ross by now. She was a 71-year-old grandmother who was killed in a staged accident in 2003.

While there can never truly be a happy ending to such a story, it is good to see that there was ultimately some measure of justice, as the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reports that Waurd Demolaire, of Brooklyn, has been convicted of murdering Ross. According to the NICB, Demolaire intentionally struck a vehicle driven by Alice Ross. The contact caused Ross to lose control and strike a tree dying at the scene from her injuries. This intentional accident was to form the basis for submitting a series of fraudulent claims to insurance companies in a practice that is sweeping the nation.

The NICB also reports the top ten cities where similar staged accidents occur frequently. It shouldnt come as a surprise that New York is holding strong on the list. Ranked from most to least activity, the cities are:

Miami, Fla.;

Los Angeles, Calif.;

Houston, Texas;

Chicago, Ill.;

Philadelphia, Pa.;

Tampa, Fla.;

Cleveland, Ohio;

Orlando, Fla.;

New York, N.Y.;

Boston, Mass.

The NICB tells us about the most frequently used tactics by those who stage the accidents. The drive down is particularly devious:

Panic stop is the most basic of the caused accidents. The suspect positions his vehicle in front of the victims vehicle and slams on the brakes causing a rear-end collision;

Drive down occurs when you try to merge into traffic or pull out of a parking space. The suspect driver waves you to proceed, then intentionally smashes into you. The suspect driver denies waving you on;

Hit and run occurs when a suspect driver uses a damaged vehicle, drives it to a public location and claims to be the victim of a hit and run;

Sideswipe occurs in a dual left turn lane of a busy intersection. The victim driver in the inside lane drifts into the outer lane and is intentionally hit by the suspect driver in the outer lane;

Swoop and squat occurs when the vehicle you are following is suddenly passed by another vehicle which swoops in front of it. This causes the vehicle in front of you to stop abruptly, or squat. As a result, you are unable to avoid colliding with the rear end of the squat vehicle. The swoop car races away, never to be seen again. The driver of the squat car submits vehicle damage and personal injury claims to your insurance company.

Best of Luck

Insurance Advocate would like to wish Carol Breen all the best as she heads to the Department of Transportation to become a spokesperson there. Carol contributed endless amounts of content to us as a writer for Cuyler News Service, including many last-minute projects.