How did a two-vehicle crash end in fraud and forgery charges?

Some auto insurance companies may pride themselves on offering low rates quickly, but one customer tried to go back in time to file a claim, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud office.

Tyler Hensal, 31, of Philipsburg, purchased a vehicle insurance policy from The General at about 9 p.m. on Nov. 8. He filed a claim for a two-vehicle crash on Nov. 13 and said the accident occurred about an hour after he purchased the insurance policy.

The insurance agent contacted Travelers Insurance, the insurance company for the other vehicle, and discovered the driver said the accident occurred at about 5:30 p.m.

Decatur Township police were dispatched to the accident at 5:03 p.m.

The General prepared an estimate of the damage and found Hensal’s 2003 Dodge pickup to be totaled, which meant a loss of about $8,000. Damage to the other vehicle, a 2014 Nissan, was estimated by Travelers at more than $12,000.

Hensal brought his insurance information to Decatur Township police two or three days after after the accident and showed an officer an email that allegedly confirmed he obtained insurance prior to the accident, according to investigators. The email was timestamped at 1 p.m.

In a follow-up interview with the insurance agent, she told investigators she believes Hensal changed the time at the top of the email in an attempt to strengthen his case.

In a separate interview with police, Hensal was confronted about the Decatur Township police report and phone records from The General, which both showed the policy was purchased after the accident.

Hensal admitted he purchased the policy after the accident and told The General the accident occurred after he purchased the policy.

Hensal was charged with felony counts of a making a false insurance claim and theft by deception. He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of forgery.

He was arraigned before District Judge Allen Sinclair, who released Hensal on his own recognizance pending his appearance at a preliminary hearing on April 4.

This story was originally published March 16, 2018 at 1:36 PM with the headline "How did a two-vehicle crash end in fraud and forgery charges?."