Man in His 40s Arrested and Referred to Prosecutors for Deliberately Causing Traffic Accidents to Collect 240 Million Won in Insurance Payouts

Continued Criminal Activities Even During Police Investigation

A man in his 40s who deliberately caused 45 traffic accidents and collected hundreds of millions of won in insurance payouts has been arrested and referred to the prosecution.

According to Yonhap News on May 26, the Traffic Investigation Unit of the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency announced that it had referred Mr. A (42) on charges of violating the Special Act on Prevention of Insurance Fraud.

Mr. A is accused of intentionally causing 45 accidents over a period of two years and two months, from October 2022 to January of this year, by colliding with vehicles that were changing lanes in the areas of Cheonan and Asan in Chungnam Province and Hwaseong in Gyeonggi Province. He allegedly received more than 240 million won in insurance payouts as a result.

His crimes were mainly committed at intersections during left turns, where he would use the second lane and, after confirming that a vehicle in the first lane was changing into the second lane, would deliberately fail to brake and collide with it. In addition to intersections, he also targeted vehicles changing lanes and intentionally accelerated to hit them.

Vehicle of Mr. A hitting cars that change course without following the guide line. Photo by Yonhap News, Chungnam Police Agency

Mr. A continued his criminal activities with boldness, even after he became the subject of a police investigation in August of last year.

According to the police investigation, Mr. A had a history of receiving insurance payouts for more than 100 traffic accidents over the past 10 years. However, during police questioning, Mr. A admitted to intentional wrongdoing in only some of the cases. It was also revealed that he had one prior conviction for insurance fraud.

A police official stated, "When compensation such as settlements is received from an insurance company due to a traffic accident, the record remains in the insurance company's database. If the accident rate is high or similar accidents are repeated, the police will launch an investigation," and added, "You must keep in mind that if you fall into the temptation of making easy money through intentional accidents, you will inevitably face criminal punishment."