James River Accuses 52 South Carolina Residents of Faking Uber Accidents

Some South Carolina residents deliberately caused hit-and-run accidents while in Uber rides as part of an insurance scam, a car insurance company says in a lawsuit.

The lawsuit from James River Insurance says 52 people were involved in an insurance scheme that cost the company more than $75,000 in claims, The State reported last month. The suit was filed in August.

The case involves 21 collisions reported to the company in the Columbia area between June 2017 and January 2019. The damage claims ranged from minor to thousands of dollars. Many of the people involved knew each other, the lawsuit says.

It says that in one incident an Uber driver was working with her two passengers and the driver and passengers of another vehicle. The second vehicle allegedly ran a stop sign and crashed into the Uber, causing almost $9,000 in damage, the lawsuit said.

One person has responded to the lawsuit and denied the insurance company’s claims.

A spokesman for the Columbia office of the FBI said the agency is aware of the lawsuit but declined to say if it is investigating. None of the defendants have been charged with a crime.