New York Woman Charged with Fraud for Lying about Auto Accident

An Upstate New York woman who suffered substantial injuries in a car crash has been charged with insurance fraud for allegedly lying to investigators about being details of the single-vehicle accident.

Heidi Laviolette, of Troy, broke her ankle, fractured a rib and suffered a collapsed lung when her car hit an unoccupied house — although she still managed to walk a mile to a friend’s house after the crash.

She claimed she was a passenger in the car on her application to Geico Insurance Co. for no-fault insurance benefits to pay for medical expenses and lost wages.

But investigators soon learned that she was actually the driver and only person in the car. Another person later reported the accident to police and Laviolette was arrested for driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of the accident.

Under most no-fault insurance policies, a person is ineligible for benefits if driving while being intoxicated or impaired contributed to the cause of an accident.

She faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the fraud charges.

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Source: New York Insurance Department