QUESTION: I am writing to you with frustration and tears in my eyes. My car was involved in an accident in May 2013. I was travelling from Kingston to Old Harbour on the toll road. I was in the right lane going below the speed limit at about 100 kph. It was about 10 o’clock at night and there were few cars on the road. I saw two cars ahead in the left lane. I continued in the right lane as there were no other cars in front of me. Upon reaching very close to be in line with one car in the left lane, the driver suddenly cut over in front of me without giving a signal. I immediately applied my brakes and swerved a little to the left in order to avoid a direct hit. However, my car hit the Tiida in the left rear. The right front of my car was badly damaged. After the impact, my car ricocheted into the BMW car that was travelling in the left lane and slid back into the right lane and stopped. When I spoke with the driver of the Tiida, he said he didn’t realise I was so close. The BMW driver said the Tiida driver was impatient and caused the accident. Four years later the matter remains unresolved. Can you please help?

– JK, Spanish Town,

St Catherine

INSURANCE HELPLINE: Sadly, there is nothing that I can do to help resolve your problems four years after the accident. This was my initial conclusion after the first read of your very long email. Your insurer’s claims manager’s response to my enquiry about the matter supports that decision.

Call it intuition, sixth sense or whatever, I believe that you were the innocent party to a staged collision. The drivers of the two cars that were hit by your vehicle were main actors in the plot. Their motive? To collect money for inflated property damage and personal injury claims from your insurer.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20170827/cedric-stephens-insurance-helpline-look-out-staged-accidents-especially#.WaK5zPTmCyw.email