Whiplash woman caught out after climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge
A WOMAN who claimed she couldn’t exercise because of whiplash from a car crash was caught out scaling the Sydney Harbour Bridge with her boyfriend.
Lois Cartridge, 24, exaggerated the severity of her injuries to boost her insurance compensation claim.
She had been involved in a road accident as a back seat passenger in November 2018 and received minor soft tissue damage.
But shortly after the crash, Cartridge – an insurance account handler – posted a photo of herself swimming with dolphins, a court heard.
And she told a doctor who examined her just over six months after the accident that she was still so badly injured that she was ‘prevented’ from exercising. But LV – the insurer of the other motorist in the crash – uncovered her Facebook posts which suggested otherwise.
LV revealed that she had completed a 5km obstacle race the same day she saw the doctor and that shortly afterwards she scaled the Sydney Harbour Bridge with her boyfriend while travelling in Australia. Cartridge admitted exaggerating her symptoms and has been given a suspended 16week jail term and will pay an estimated £20,000 in lawyers’ bills for contempt of court at the High Court in London.
Paul Higgins, for LV, told Judge Richard Pearce that Cartridge, from Bournemouth, claimed that she had ‘tenderness’ and ‘restricted movement’ in her back and neck which stopped her exercising and doing household chores.
But alarm bells rang when investigators looked at her social media posts, he said.
One day after the accident, she posted that she had been shopping and on a dinner date, Mr Higgins told the judge. He added: ‘On December 5, 2018, she posted a status update stating “Can’t get much better” alongside a photo showing what appears to be
her swimming with dolphins.
‘On June 1, that same day she was medically examined, she posted a status update stating, “We completed the 5k inflatable run this morning... and I can now say I’m never doing anything like that again”.
‘On June 12 she was tagged in a status update at Heathrow Terminal 3, stating, “Australia bound”.
‘On June 16, she posted “Time to climb the bridge” and she was tagged in another update stating, “Cool night doing the Sydney bridge climb”.’ Mr Higgins said Cartridge had told the doctor that she regularly swims, trains in the gym and walks and that at the time of the examination ‘ these continue to be prevented as a result of her symptoms’.
She also told the doctor she had problems with cleaning, cooking, DIY, driving, ironing, self-care and vacuuming.
Mr Higgins said it was ‘ not possible to reconcile’ such claims with her social media posts. He asked the judge to jail her and make her pay the £20,000 costs of the case.
Andrew Mckie, for Cartridge, told the court she would lose her job over the case.
Judge Pearce, sentencing, said: ‘This is exaggeration, not invention. I have been impressed with her straightforward apology and I take into account that this finding will have serious financial consequences for her.’
‘Exaggeration, not invention’