Dashcam footage of cars seemingly crashing into other cars on purpose often goes viral. It’s a scam that happens more often than you think – and it’s called a staged accident. Example after example highlight how criminal networks, in collusion with billboard attorneys, stage accidents on America’s roads, construction sites, and in public spaces – raising costs for consumers and endangering public safety.
Victims who are recruited to stage accidents often find themselves with high interest rate loans, and even undergoing costly and often unnecessary surgeries that leave them with lasting pain and little to show for multimillion-dollar settlements, according to an investigation published in The Center Square.
This week, PACT released Consumer Talk, Episode Two – “What are Staged Accidents?” It is the second video in our recurring series educating Americans about our civil justice system. In the new video, PACT explores staged accidents and how this problem is driving up costs across America and putting consumers at risk.
As the video explains, staged accidents are the result of a conspiracy between criminals, lawyers, and recruited victims. In 2024, a scheme in Louisiana was uncovered that stretched back over a decade, involving dozens of people, and at least 22 staged accidents:
The complex system, beginning in 2011, involved people allegedly crashing vehicles into 18-wheelers and then fleeing while passengers in those vehicles pretended to be the drivers and lying about what happened. Authorities say those persons staged witnesses on site claiming it was the commercial vehicle’s fault, according to officials. Monday’s indictment alleges 22 collisions were staged by the defendants in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
America’s roads are not the only place where staged accidents take place. In New York City, ABC uncovered a scheme where workers on construction sites stage fake falls in order to profit:
The 7 On Your Side Investigates team has learned about a scam involving fake falls in New York that is costing everyone from construction companies to homeowners and renters.
The owners of several restoration companies in New York City tell Eyewitness News they have been receiving false claims from workers who said they fell while on the job.
The end result is higher costs for homeowners and renters. All told, this fraud costs Americans over $300 billion a year.
Elected officials have started to take notice of this growing problem and are pushing for action. GA Congressman Mike Collins recently wrote in Fox News on the push to crack down on staged accident fraud:
Congress can stop it. Earlier this month, I led a group of U.S. representatives in calling United States Attorney General Pam Bondi to create a federal task force to investigate and prosecute these rings, helping to shut them down. The Trump administration should launch it now.
Staged accidents are a dangerous scam that puts consumers in danger. It’s time to expose this corrupt practice and demand real action to shut it down.