https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ireland-christmas-tree-throwing-competition-mother-loses-claim-rcna140448
Kamila Grabska had claimed that a car accident in 2017 left her with “debilitating pain.”
In the US, know that insurance companies hire private investigators to follow and video people making injury claims. Especially higher dollar ones.
This was in Ireland, and she was in the local newspaper after winning a tree-tossing competition…
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Kamila Grabska, 36, had claimed that a car accident in 2017 left her with “debilitating pain,” leaving her unable to lift heavy bags and keeping her in bed on bad days, according to disclosures made at Ireland's High Court and reported by the Irish Independent newspaper.
The constant pain in her back, neck and thoracic spine left her unable to lift groceries, do chores or play with her two children, the newspaper reported the disclosures made to the court sitting in Limerick, as saying.
Her case became unstuck when a photo published in the same newspaper almost a year after her accident showed Grabska winning a Christmas tree throwing contest.
Wearing a yellow jacket, the picture taken in January 2018, shows her forcefully throwing the tree in the town of Ennis in western Ireland, where the championship, based on an old lumberjack competition, takes place.
When cross-examined in court, Grabska said she still felt pain when she threw the Christmas tree, and was smiling in photos because she was trying to “live a normal life,” the Irish Independent reported.
But Judge Carmel Stewart, who presided over the case, said she had no choice but to dismiss the claim because of the “very graphic picture” of Grabska throwing the Christmas tree which was “at odds” with the medical evidence provided.
The original article contains 411 words, the summary contains 219 words. Saved 47%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
It's very odd for this to make international news, I was at that competition. Payouts are big here but they have made strides to get them in line with reality. It wasn't very popular but there is a certain sect of people who are always claiming. Another local to Ennis had 6 personal injury claims and made the paper for the value of all her claims. As you'd have guessed she was a useless member of society.
That feels like a large payout for that type of injury, but that's not my business.
Everytime I hear news like this, or stories of people who "receive support for xyz injury, but can still do abc activity so must be cheating the system" I can't help but think how brightly it highlights that the author has never had to experience chronic pain and dynamic disability.
Anyone who has ever injured anything knows, some days it just randomly hurts more than others, and you have very little control over predicting or changing that randomness other than through avoiding certain activities when you can to preserve your health and energy for days and times when you don't have a choice and have to perform that action.
It's also about balance.
Because of my wrists I can't do the dishes and do latch hooking on the same day. I have to do the dishes, I can't just live in squalor. But some days I also "need" to take some time for latch hooking because it's a mindful hobby I find enjoyable and it's so good for my mental health.
Now is it wrong of me to tell my OT that my wrists mean I struggle to do the dishes and latch key, so I'd like support with the dishes - maybe I get a dishwasher, or a helper twice a week to come in and do the heavy dishes for me.
If I'm sat on the couch doing my latch hooking putting pressure on my wrists "just for a hobby" while the dishwasher runs in the background - was I lying about my injury? Was I being a cheat? Do I no longer deserve the dishwasher because I'm "abusing it just so I can run off and have fun latch hooking"
She tossed one Christmas tree at a one off event.
How does that change the pain it is causes to play with her kids or carry groceries every single day that she wants and needs to do those tasks?
She clearly exaggerated her claims. The article says “The constant pain in her back, neck and thoracic spine left her unable to lift groceries, do chores or play with her two children.” Yet she can toss a Christmas tree, and win the whole competition? She can play with a dog for over an hour, but can’t play with her children?
She tried swinging for the fences for the largest payout and missed. She may vey well experience pain, but once you start lying, where does the lie stop? If she wants a payout for a dynamic disability, that’s what she needs to claim