Those who have spent time reviewing claims have likely had many head-scratching moments.  How did the adjuster come up with that liability assessment? How could the carrier possibly have paid so much on this claim? How could we have ever let this one go to litigation?  It's often a game of Monday morning quarterbacking, second guessing the "he said, she said" of who struck John scenarios.  

Perhaps the biggest head scratcher of them all are low-impact claims with allegations of soft-tissue injuries.  While not claiming this is out of the realm of possibility, albeit remote, these cases always warrant a thorough and detailed investigation.  According to the Department of Transportation, 80 percent of all accidents occur at less than 20 miles per hour. Knowing this, it is imperative that claims organizations have a successful low-impact strategy in place. 

First, do not assume it is fraud just because there is no property damage. Rather, recognize that impact can have a causal relationship on injuries, and lack thereof may be indicative of opportunistic fraud.  Insurance Research Council (IRC) statistics suggest that more than one-third of all accidents involve this type of fraud, which differs from more straightforward fraud, such as staging accidents. The difference is that with opportunistic fraud, the loss really did occur, but an involved party is trying to receive greater compensation than that to which he or she is entitled.