£5,000 legal bill for fake whiplash cabbie...
A DEWSBURY taxi driver who faked a whiplash injury was caught when the person he ‘crashed’ into turned out to be an insurance investigator.
Victim Lee Robinson, a physiotherapist from Wakefield, accidentally reversed into a stationary Toyota Corolla cab at traffic lights in Dewsbury.
The impact, at barely 5mph, came after Mr Robinson realised his Vauxhall van had gone slightly over the traffic line and barely grazed the Toyota’s bumper.
But seven months later Mr Robinson was sued by taxi driver Nazir Hussain for car repairs worth £800 and £2,000 for severe whiplash.
Ironically, Mr Robinson’s work involves investigating whiplash injury claims for insurance companies and he decided to challenge Mr Hussain’s legal action.
He subsequently won the case at Dewsbury County Court after a judge heard Mr Hussain had tried to sue for injuries on four previous occasions.
Mr Robinson said afterwards: “I believe this was a landmark case, because not many people take these cases to court in the first place. And when they do, they are usually settled in the alleged victim’s favour.
“But this sets a precedent, as it shows these cases can be challenged.”
He added there was not even a scratch on Mr Hussain’s bumper and said: “That sort of impact can’t give you the severe whiplash he was claiming.
“I decided he could not have got such an injury, and that I was going to act both as a professional witness and as defendant.
“The judge threw the case out, and the driver has to pay mine and his own legal fees, which amount to about £5,000.
“This is a victory for all those going through the same thing. Our motor insurance premiums are increasing on the back of all this.
“Drivers know they have not caused any serious damage, yet claimants get nice financial handouts that the rest of us are paying for.”
Mr Hussain refused to comment.
