Personal injury claims have hit the headlines repeatedly in the past year, as a record number of false claims have pushed up insurance costs for everyone.
However, among the lies, there are still many genuine claims made, so how can you tell the difference?
We’ve all seen the ‘have you had an accident?’ adverts on TV and I’ve always assumed most claims are for generic accidents like slipping on water at work or straining your back lifting something heavy.
However, injury firm Edwards Hoyle has released 10 of the strangest claims it’s dealt with in the last 12 months and, I have to say, they're pretty bizarre.
The top 10
1) An elderly gentleman was injured when his mobility scooter spontaneously combusted and he had to be dragged free from the flames by witnesses to the event.
2) A woman in the hot tub of her local gym sustained an injury after she was ‘sucked’ into the filter, injuring her back.
3) A man on a scooter was driving out of his local car park, when the barrier ahead of him lowered without warning; knocking him off his scooter while the scooter continued to drive forward.
4) A man was leaving his local chemist when the barrier unexpectedly closed on his head.
5) An elderly woman in her local Bingo hall became trapped in the doors of the lift and was stuck for more than 15 minutes.
6) A man was decorating the bathroom when the floorboards beneath him collapsed, leaving him hanging through the ceiling of the floor below until the fire brigade arrived to extract him.
7) A man already injured after a nightclub dancing incident was walking on crutches with his children through the park, when his crutch became trapped in a small hole. Unable to release it, the man fell over once again, injuring his other leg.
8) A women walking through a restaurant slipped in the large puddle of gravy left on the floor, injuring her back as she hit the ground.
9) A man loading products into the back of a lorry was injured when a fellow driver got in the lorry and drove off, failing to realise that he was in the back; and that the doors were open. The claimant subsequently fell out of the back of the moving vehicle, while the driver was unaware of what had happened.
10) A man leaning on a balcony as he had a cigarette fell to ground level when the balcony collapsed, taking him with it.
So that’s your top 10 – if you think these sound too ridiculous to be true, or you’ve got your own unusual tale, please share your thoughts in the box below.
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