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A Mini plant worker who tried to sue his employer for £1million in damages has had his case struck out after he was caught faking his injury, the Oxford Mail reports.
Darius Creer claimed that he suffered an electric shock which caused him to lose the use of his right arm whilst working on an assembly line in Cowley. However, insurers acting on behalf of BMW secretly filmed him driving and working at a local car repair workshop where he was seen using his right arm without problems.
He has now been slapped with a bill for £100,000 to cover the court costs.
Gill Woolley, Head of Legal at BMW UK, said: “Like any responsible employer we are committed to ensuring high levels of health and safety in the workplace.
"Any genuine claims we receive will always be dealt with fairly and in a timely fashion.
"However, we will not hesitate to take appropriate legal action with regard to spurious or dishonest claims, as we have done with the support of our insurers on this occasion.”
It is worth researching ways to protect your firm from potential false claims. AXA UK research from 2014 found that almost a quarter (24%) of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) had an employee or former employee claim against their Employers’ Liability Insurance within five years.
The researchers warned that the potential for fraudulent claims activity, including cases where the nature of the injury could be exaggerated in order to increase the value of compensation, is a significant concern.
David Williams, Managing Director, Underwriting at AXA said: “There is no doubt and no question that those who are genuinely injured in the workplace should receive fair compensation. However, at a time when the number of workplace accidents is falling and the number of claims continues to rise, there is clearly something of an imbalance in the system.
“There is a case to be made for introducing more vigorous medical examination standards around workplace injury claims in order to combat the growing compensation culture along with an overhaul of the dispute resolution track.”
