When Wanda fell on a wet floor at work, she claimed to have suffered multiple injury-related problems. She quickly filed for workers compensation and sued her employer for millions of dollars in damages. Because they had no access to a videotape of Wanda’s slip and fall accident, her employers had no way of proving that she was lying – and committing insurance fraud. They heard a few grumbles around the community from Wanda’s co-workers and a few of her neighbors too, stating that Wanda was not only pretending to be injured, she was bragging about how she had her previous employer pinned to the ground like a bug.
Frustrated and aggravated by the continuous stack of medical bills arriving in a thick manila envelope every month, her employer shared the information – although second hand hearsay – with the insurance claims adjuster. So the insurance company hired a private investigator to conduct a slip and fall fraud investigation.
The private investigator situated himself near Wanda’s home, where he had a clear view of her daily activities.
Within just a few days, the investigator witnessed and video documented the horribly injured Wanda:
- Cleaning her garage,
- Climbing a ladder to clean the gutters and
- Hauling three large trash cans to the end of her driveway for trash day.
Another day, he was three car lengths behind her as Wanda drove from her home to her doctor’s office. And even the investigator was a little bit dumbfounded as he watched Wanda:
- Step out of her car and wrap both arms with bandages and splints
- Place paperwork in her teeth since she had claimed that she had little use of either of her hands and
- Walk with an exaggerated limp, as she entered the medical facility.
All of this activity, of course, was done while the private investigator’s video camera was rolling.
When the report finally went to the insurance company, Wanda was confronted with an insurance fraud charge from the police, and there was no denying the absence of a slip and fall injury.
routinely undertakes workplace accident investigations for insurance companies to ferret out fraudulent insurance claims. The truth helps to save millions of dollars a year that then save their customers on insurance premiums. The team at can help you show your employees that you will be fair and do anything to get to the truth.
-Brenda McGinley, CEO, All in Investigations, All in Investigations