In August 2022, a Yorkshire strongman championship winner Scott Maw claimed to have suffered whiplash in a car crash when a Ford T200 Connect performed an unexpected U-turn and collided with the side of his Vauxhall Insignia car.

Maw, 36 told his doctor all the things he was unable to do as a result but failed to mention he was still capable of lifting logs, concrete balls and even a Transit van. 

His decision to seek compensation for the injuries was thrown out as it turned out to be a ‘blatantly dishonest’ insurance claim against the other driver and was disputed by the insurance company.

The dishonesty has now left him £25,000 out-of-pocket when insurance investigators discovered Maw    was still able to pull an eight-tonne tractor and be crowned King of the Log Press at the Peak District Highlands Games just two weeks after the accident.

Six months later, he said his injury problems persisted – leaving him, he claimed, ‘restricted’ in carrying shopping bags, doing DIY and ‘getting in and out of the bath’.

Unsurprisingly, the extent of his injuries was disputed by the other driver’s insurance company. Maw insists he was genuinely injured, yet was able to carry on competing as a strongman as his symptoms were ‘intermittent’ and he only dropped his claim because things ‘spiralled out of control’.

With his claim being contested, papers were filed with Sheffield County Court and eventually the strongman was asked to pay the other side’s legal costs of £15,000, the total bill running to £25,000 when his own fees were added in.

The case has been made public by Marker study   Insurance Services Limited to serve as an example of how dishonest insurance claims cost dearly.