Can Gov. Hochul stop staged car crashes in New York?

A Queens car crash case has exposed what attorneys describe as a brazen example of staged automobile collisions, complete with suspicious medical diagnoses and surgical reports that appear to have been copied and pasted. The 2023 incident between a man named Davey and a Sholom Day Care bus has become a flashpoint in New York’s debate over fraudulent insurance claims.

Both sides in Albany agree that staged car crashes are a growing problem, though they remain divided on legislative solutions. The New York State Trial Lawyers Association, one of the biggest lobbying spenders at the Capitol, maintains deep ties in the Legislature and has significant influence over how lawmakers approach the issue.

The Queens case began when Davey claimed a day care bus driver had sideswiped him. But bus driver David Kushmakov told attorneys the collision never happened, according to legal filings. Kushmakov said Davey and his girlfriend chased him down the street and accused him of hitting them.

Attorney Johnston, representing the bus company, filed a counterclaim challenging Davey’s narrative. Court documents in New York and Florida revealed that Davey received a foreclosure notice on his Florida home just one week before the alleged incident, suggesting possible financial motive.

One week after Davey said he was hit, a doctor named Mir Ehteshamul Haque declared him “totally disabled,” according to court records. But the diagnosis raised immediate questions. Haque is a urologist, and his online medical profile indicates he treats patients at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on a regular basis. Haque could not be reached for comment.

In May 2024, Davey and his fiancée both received spinal fusion surgeries from Long Island surgeon Alexios Apazidis. Excerpts of the surgical reports filed in court appear nearly identical, suggesting they were copied and pasted from one document to another.

Apazidis faces separate legal troubles of his own. A racketeering lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York accuses him of performing “unwarranted and unnecessary” spinal surgeries on patients who staged trip-and-fall incidents and car crashes. His medical license was temporarily suspended in 2015 for negligence and incompetence. Attorneys for Apazidis did not respond to requests for comment.

The New York State Trial Lawyers Association remains a powerful force in Albany, consistently ranking among the biggest spenders on lobbying at the Capitol.

The case illustrates the complex web of players involved in staged crash schemes, from the individuals who stage collisions to the medical professionals who provide diagnoses and treatments. Whether Governor Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers can reach consensus on legislation to address the problem remains uncertain, as the trial lawyers’ influence continues to shape the debate in Albany.