Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Buy early]

If you've never seen this it was viral on the internet a few years ago.



Two years later, the story continues to unfold. Just another example of the consequences of all those video taking iPhones out there (think Corvette racing story from another thread).

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/insurer-accuses-owner-of-drowned-bugatti-of-fraud-2005600.html


Insurer accuses owner of drowned Bugatti of fraud

HOUSTON — The insurer of a $1.2 million sports car that plunged into a Galveston Bay lagoon two years ago says the owner deliberately drove into the marsh to collect on a $2.2 million insurance policy.

No trial date has been set in the federal lawsuit that Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co. filed against Lufkin auto dealer Andy House, the Houston Chronicle reported (http://bit.ly/sKLYU5 ). The lawsuit accuses House of intentionally driving his Bugatti Veyron EB into 3 feet of salt water in La Marque, 36 miles southeast of Houston.

House, who sells exotic cars, denies the allegations. He has countersued the insurer, saying the company failed to pay as promised. His attorney was not available for comment, the newspaper said.

The Chronicle reported that the lawsuit also alleges House ran the car engine for 15 minutes after the November 2009 splashdown, furthering damaging the engine.

House told police that car, with its 1,000-horsepower engine capable of reaching 253 mph, ended up in the lagoon when he swerved to avoid a seagull. He also said he delayed turning the engine off because of an attack of mosquitoes, according to the lawsuit, filed in June 2010 in federal court in Galveston.

However, a video of the incident taken by a passing motorist and posted on YouTube showed no seagull and no attempt to brake as the Italian sports car swerved into the water, the insurance company claims.

Furthermore, a confidential informant told company investigators that House had offered to pay the informant to steal and burn the car so House could collect on his policy, according to the lawsuit. The informant told investigators that House business associate Lloyd Gillespie, who is also a defendant in the lawsuit, loaned the money to buy the car and is listed on the policy as payee, the lawsuit said.

Gillespie has denied the allegations in court filings. His attorney declined to comment to the newspaper.

[Wild Card]

Seems like an easy case for the insurer with that video. 

[Eagle Eye]

Score one for the Insurance company.  The idiot had no idea he was being filmed. I'm loven it!

[red ben59]

If you are considering being stupid be sure somebody will see you do it or maybe even video tape it.

[spydglide]

If you are considering being stupid be sure somebody will see you do it or maybe even video tape it.

Danged cell phones.  spyder

[Eagle Eye]

I know this road.  I worked just north of there at the Johnson Space Center in '83.  No reason aside from passing out, would that car gone off the road, unless deliberate. 

[cvobiker]

I know this road.  I worked just north of there at the Johnson Space Center in '83.  No reason aside from passing out, would that car gone off the road, unless deliberate. 

Yes sir he had a reason... He was dodging one of those big beautiful 'invisible' Pelicans we all see in the video. 

[ColeenD]

As I remembered, three years ago, some pictures and a video went viral of a man who crashed a Bugatti Veyron, one of the most expensive cars in the world, into a lake. Now the driver, Andy House sued for insurance fraud after crashing Bugatti Veyron, he told the insurance company he was distracted by a pelican.

It was said that whether or not Andy House really was committing auto insurance fraud is up for debate, of course. However, if he was, his was one of thousands of instances of it. According to Edmunds, there are two categories of auto insurance fraud, “hard” and “soft.” Soft fraud involves padding the bill, like adding old damage to an accident claim. Hard fraud includes things like crashing into something on purpose to collect a check, or falsely claiming an injury.

[Crusty]

Atacked by mosquitos? He couldn't come up with something better like a jaguar or an anaconda?

And why would they insure a $1.2M car for $2.2M?

[cvobiker]

And why would they insure a $1.2M car for $2.2M?

It's obvious,   he wanted more than he paid...   he was after a huge profit..  that's alright though, with our new system, he'll be off the hook 

[chaos901]

Not any swerving or violent movement involved there. 

[muddypaws]

Dam cell phones. Same way my wife caught me....