As an injury lawyer, this story not only caught my eye when I read the headline, but I found it to be absolutely crazy. This is the story of Camilla Grabska.
The Story of Camilla Grabska
According to NBC News, she was a mom who had her $820,000 car accident injury claim dismissed by a court in Ireland after a picture emerged of her winning a contest to see who could toss a Christmas tree the farthest. Ms. Grabska claimed that a 2017 car accident had left her with debilitating pain, leaving her unable to lift heavy bags and keeping her in bed on bad days. She further claimed that due to her constant pain in her back and neck, she was unable to lift groceries, do chores, or play with her two children.
The photo that killed her case was published in a local newspaper almost a year after her accident. She apparently won the contest, and even a second photo was also published in the newspaper showing her smiling as she was holding a check-mounted certificate declaring her the champion.
When she was questioned in court, she said she felt pain when she threw the Christmas tree and was smiling in photos because she was trying to live a normal life. The judge in her case said they had no choice but to dismiss the claim because of the picture of her throwing the tree, which conflicted with the medical evidence produced in her case. The judge concluded that the claims were entirely exaggerated.
Lessons to Learn from This Case
So what can anyone that has sustained injuries in an accident learn from this case? Well, there are four things that one can learn that stick out to me.
1. Do Not Exaggerate Your Injuries
First, if you are not hurt, do not bring an injury claim. While Ms. Grabska was likely hurt to some degree in her car accident, it seems obvious that she was exaggerating her injury. If you are injured, do not exaggerate your injuries. It’s actually possibly fraud to bring a claim against an insurance company and to lie about being injured or lie about the extent of the injuries. That potentially is a crime that you can possibly go to jail for, so never do that.
2. Follow Your Doctor’s Restrictions
Second, always follow your doctor’s restrictions placed upon you. I’m not exactly sure what was happening in Ms. Grabska’s case, but if her doctor’s restrictions were placed upon her — doctor was telling her not to lift heavy objects — she certainly should not have been out throwing Christmas trees.
3. Expect Surveillance by the Insurance Company
Third, if you have an injury claim, you should just assume that anything you do will be discovered by the insurance company. In some cases, an insurance company may even hire an investigator to follow you and document your activities on video. Knowing this, you should never lie about what you can’t do.
4. Be Careful with Social Media
Four, assume your daily activities could be published somewhere: whether it be a newspaper or social media, your activities can be published for all to see. I recommend to all my clients that never post on social media while your claim is pending. Insurance companies are looking for anything they can find to discredit your claim. Don’t give the insurance company any more. The easiest thing you can do is to simply not post or have any loved ones post about you, any photo of you, your accident, or any of your activities while your injury claim is pending.
Conclusion
Now that you know this story about how Ms. Grabska lost her car accident injury case, you may be wondering what you really need to know to win your injury case. What if I told you that you could possibly win your injury case even if you don’t get treatment right away? In this video about to pop up right here, I will tell you how to win your injury case and how it is possible for you to potentially win your injury case even if you delay getting medical treatment.
Lastly, if you’ve been injured in a car accident, slip or trip and fall incident, or dog attack incident in Kentucky, remember: don’t wait; call Tate.
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