Your Advocate In Serious Injury Claims

Local pleads guilty for truck accident scam

Our roadways and highways can be dangerous places. We all know this, but some people purposely make our roads even more dangerous by actually causing accidents. This, unfortunately, was the case for one local.

The guilty plea

According to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the Houma, Louisiana, woman pleaded guilty at the end of last month to staging two 18-wheeler truck accidents.  The incidents occurred during May 2017 in New Orleans. She now faces a $250,000 fine and up to five years in prison.

This indictment is part of a larger bust that includes 32 residents, and up to 100 staged accidents. The Metropolitan Crime Commission, Louisiana State Police and the FBI all participated in the investigation.

The staged truck accidents

The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana gave details on the alleged conspiracy. In one incident, the local acted as a “witness” to a staged accident where a co-conspirator crashed their pickup truck into an 18-wheeler as the truck attempted to merge onto the Pontchartrain Expressway. In another accident, only an hour later, she was a passenger in another SUV that slammed into another 18-wheeler that was turning from Chickasaw Street.

Why does this matter?

At first blush, Houma, Louisiana, residents may not necessarily care about something that happened in New Orleans back in 2017. However, this shows that not all accidents are what they appear to be, and this is why it is so important to contact an attorney immediately after being in a car accident. The attorney can do an independent investigation to help determine fault and hold those accountable for one’s injuries and damages.