A Co Dublin address used by a woman claiming €60,000 damages over personal injuries allegedly sustained in a car crash has been used in five other road traffic accident claims in a 14-month period, a court was told on Tuesday.
Judge John O’ Connor heard in the Circuit Civil Court that Linda Baltcepure (32), of Wikeford Hall, Applewood, Swords, was not in court and had withdrawn her damages claim against Jessica Kelly, a Zurich Insurance customer.
Barrister Paul McMorrow, counsel for Ms Kelly and Zurich, said he was concerned that a fraud of a contrived nature would have been brought before the court if Ms Baltcepure had shown up.
Mr McMorrow, who appeared with David Culleton of DAC Beachcroft Solicitors, told Judge O’ Connor that Ms Baltcepure’s two-bedroom property was used as the address in six car crash claims between January 2015 and April 2016.
He said Ms Baltcepure had claimed she was the front seat passenger in a car driven by Nerijus Gaybys and that while they had stopped at Corkagh Park Roundabout near Baldonnel, Co Dublin, they had been rear ended by Ms Kelly’s car on April 20th, 2016.
Mr McMorrow told the court that Mr Gaybys was the driver in four different car accidents out of which 19 claims had arisen. He said another passenger, known only to Ms Baltcepure as ‘Andrei’, was picked up by Mr Gaybys on the night of the accident. He said this man was involved in a separate rear-ending accident on another date over which he was awarded damages.
Whiplash
Mr Baltcepure claimed that she suffered whiplash injuries in the accident and was assessed at the Primahealth Medical Centre in Swords. She also claimed she suffered shock.
Mr McMorrow told the court that Ms Baltcepure’s address was used in a number of almost identical claims where the claimants were rear-ended after their brakes were slammed on. He said that overall there was “an astonishing number” of similar applications for damages.
Mr McMorrow said Zurich was assisted by claims managers in a number of other insurance companies in its investigation into Ms Baltcepure’s claim.
Judge O’ Connor said that although he had dismissed a number of other damages clams in the last few weeks because claimants were unable to prove their cases, Ms Baltcepure’s claim was one of the most shocking he had seen.
The judge said he would leave the matter to be investigated by gardaí and that he did not want to interfere with their investigation by saying too much.
He said it was a matter for the Director of Public Prosecution and said he did not wish to derail any potential Garda investigation and dismissed Ms Baltcepure’s claim, awarding legal costs against her.