According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the top ten cities in the United States for staged accident claims–claims where the accident itself was manufactured purely to seek compensation from an insurance company or property owner–are:
1. Miami
2. Los Angeles
3. Houston
4. Chicago
5. Philadelphia
6. Tampa
7. Cleveland
8. Orlando
9. New York
10. Boston
That means that plaintiffs working with insurance companies in those areas may be greeted with a greater degree of skepticism and more thorough investigation of claims than they might in areas where fraud is less common–and both of those things can mean delays.
Delays work to the advantage of the insurance company: recollections fade, evidence may be misplaced, the need to pay medical and other bills create pressure on the claimant to settle for less. Discuss these issues with your personal injury lawyer before making any decisions about your cased based simply on the need to finalize your case and get bills paid–that pressure may be exactly what the insurance company is banking on.