Court dismisses woman's P46M insurance claim after car crash as she's seen in Xmas tree throwing competition
Barking up the wrong tree? A woman thought she would receive an $820,000 (P46 million) insurance claim, citing injuries. However, an Irish court dismissed the case after a photo of her participating in a Christmas tree-throwing competition surfaced about a year later.
Kamila Grabska, 36, said she experienced constant neck and back pain as a result of a car crash on Feb. 3, 2017, according to reports from SWNS, Irish Independent, The Guardian, and NBC News.
The injuries, according to Grabska, prevented her from working, playing with her children, and doing household chores for over five years.
But a photo in a Jan. 8, 2018 newspaper showed her participating in a Christmas tree-throwing competition, where she even won.
A November 2023 video also showed Grabska training her dog for over an hour.
This prompted the court to dismiss her insurance claim, saying her post-crash endeavors were “completely at odds” with the medical evidence she presented, SWNS reported.
“It is a very large, natural Christmas tree and it is being thrown by her in a very agile movement,” Judge Carmel Stewart said.
“I’m afraid I cannot but conclude the claims were entirely exaggerated. On that basis, I propose to dismiss the claim.”
Grabska, meanwhile, argued that she was still in pain during the tree-throwing competition. She also had to resign after the car crash as she became disabled.
She also denied faking her injuries, saying she’s simply “trying to live a normal life.”
Roadside Assistance Insurance, meanwhile, told PEOPLE Magazine that they’re "very pleased” with the outcome of the case.
“[I]t sends out a clear message that we will robustly challenge any attempt to pursue claims that are not genuine,” it said.