An Irish woman lost her injury claim worth over $820,000 following a car accident when photos emerged of her chucking Christmas trees at a competition, the Irish Independent first reported Feb. 22.
Kamila Grabska, 36, claimed to suffer from neck injuries and severe back pain following a car accident in 2017 that prevented her from working and engaging with her two children, the outlet reported. Grabska sued an insurance company claiming her injuries greatly impacted her life over the last five years, according to the report.
Her claim was then dismissed by the Limerick high court after pictures surfaced of her winning a Christmas tree-throwing competition in 2018, the outlet noted. The competition involves participants trying to throw spruce trees as far as they possibly can.
Justice Carmel Stewart viewed the photos of Grabska, which had been published in a national newspaper. The images reportedly showed her throwing a five-foot-tall spruce tree. Stewart found her claims to be “entirely exaggerated,” according to the outlet. (RELATED:‘Asking Us To Take On Extra Work’: Justices Look For Easy Way Out In Disability ‘Tester’ Case).
Grabska reportedly told the judge about her winning the competition. Yet there was additional evidence of the 36-year-old seemingly physically active in a video of her training her dog in a park, according to the outlet.
Woman’s three quarters of a million euro injury claim dismissed after she admitted Christmas tree-throwing competition win https://t.co/rabS4TDcoShttps://t.co/rabS4TDcoS
— Belfast Telegraph (@BelTel) February 23, 2024
“It is a very large, natural Christmas tree and it is being thrown by her in a very agile movement,” the judge reportedly said. “I’m afraid I cannot but conclude the claims were entirely exaggerated. On that basis, I propose to dismiss the claim.”
Grabska denied the claim that she faked her injuries and said she was only intending to “lead a normal life,” the outlet reported. She reportedly left her job and had been receiving disability payments.
In a high-profile insurance case from November 2023, a Manhattan jury convicted former ball players Glen “Big Baby” Davis and Will Bynum in a fraud scheme that prosecutors claim scammed fellow NBA players and their families out of over $5 million. The illicit scheme involved submitting fake medical and dental claims to the NBA Players’ Health and Benefit Welfare plan.