Shocking moment woman is hit by a car - but is everything as it seems?
Police confirmed to Yahoo that a report was made but when they arrived at the scene, no one was there.
Shocking dash cam footage has emerged showing the moment a pedestrian is hit by a car in the early hours of the morning on a Queensland road – but according to the person behind the wheel, not everything is as it seems.
The driver was heading down Grand Plaza Drive in Browns Plains just before 2.30am on Wednesday morning when a woman runs onto the road in front of the car.
She stops right in the middle of the lane as the driver slams on the brakes, and bounces off the bonnet with a thud.
As a male pedestrian runs to the woman’s side, the driver manoeuvres around the duo and flees the scene.
Submitting the footage to popular Facebook page Dash Cam Owners Australia, the driver claimed the woman had purposefully run in front of their car in an alleged insurance fraud incident.
“There were several people approaching from behind the vehicle instantly after the incident, driver fled due to risk of carjacking/suspecting a fraudulent claim,” the caption to the video read.
Debate erupts over driver's actions
While many agreed with the driver's theory of an alleged fraud or car jacking attempt, others were appalled that they drove away so quickly.
"They are kidding aren't they?" one person wrote. "They knocked her down and drove away. If they were scared they could of backed off and locked their doors, call an ambulance."
One woman said she works in insurance and has seen "a lot of this lately".
Others pointed out the pedestrian can be seen waiting behind a sign as the car approaches.
Driver reported incident to police
Police confirmed to Yahoo News Australia that the driver did report the incident but when officers arrived at the scene, no one was there.
"Police are aware of a video circulating on social media where a female walks out in front of a vehicle and is struck on Browns Plains Road at Browns Plains on May 2," a statement read.
"The driver reported the incident to police shortly after the incident. Police attended the location but were unable to locate those involved.
"No formal complaint has been made to police at this time however investigations are ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the incident."
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Insurance fraud a 'serious offence'
In 2017 alone, $280 million in fraudulent claims were detected – and this figure doesn't include claims relating to health insurance or personal injury.
The Insurance Council of Australia told Yahoo News every Australian with an insurance policy is affected by fraudulent claims.
"The costs associated with exaggerated or fraudulent claims push up the cost of insurance for every Australian policyholder," the spokesperson said.
The most common type of insurance fraud in Australia is the exaggeration of personal claims.
This is known as 'opportunistic' fraud, while premeditated or planned frauds are usually committed by professional fraudsters or organised criminal gangs.
"Regardless of whether the fraud is committed on a one-off basis (opportunity) or is a series of frauds committed by a professional criminal (pre-meditated), it is still considered at law to be a serious indictable offence where the penalties can be imprisonment for up to 10 years or a substantial fine or both," the Insurance Council's website states.
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