While driving her mother’s car a young woman had a car accident. Right away the daughter panicked and called her mother for help. The daughter believed at the time of the accident that her drivers licence was suspended.
The mother showed up to the scene of the accident, and probably thinking that she was helping her daughter, advised the police that she was driving the car. The mother repeated this lie at the collision centre and repeated the lie to her own insurance company.
Not surprisingly the insurance company eventually discovered the truth that it was the daughter that had been driving the car and not the mother. The insurance company denied coverage to both the mother and the daughter. Because it wasn’t strictly speaking the daughter that had lied it was the daughter that applied to court for an order that she as the daughter be covered. The judge denied the request.
The court found that the mother committed a civil fraud and that therefore the insurance company was entitled to cancel the policy of insurance and deny coverage. The mother and daughter were on their own and would have to pay the claim themselves.
And here is the shame of it all. The mother, who so desperately wanted to help her own daughter that she lied for her on numerous occasions to numerous people, was herself prejudiced. Now instead of only the daughter being denied insurance coverage the mother herself was denied insurance coverage.
Sometimes people think that they are helping themselves when in fact they are doing the contrary and hurting themselves. When in a difficult situation it’s usually best to say nothing and consult a lawyer. Of course this is easier said than done. Most people just cannot shut up.