Man accused of severing own fingers for insurance

[Betty]

Austrian Accused of Deliberately Putting Hands Beneath Train So His Fingers Would Be Severed

SALZBURG, Austria*Nov 29, 2005 —*Prosecutors on Tuesday accused a former fingernail designer of deliberately putting his hands beneath a passing train so his fingers would be severed and he could collect on a euro1 million ($1.17 million) insurance policy.

The 35-year-old defendant from the town of St. Johann, whose name was not released in line with Austrian privacy laws, is being tried on federal charges of insurance fraud stemming from claims filed in November 2003, when the incident occurred.

The suspect told police he was riding his bicycle when he lost control and rolled down an embankment and onto railroad tracks just as a train was passing by, losing a thumb on one hand and an index finger and a pinky on the other.

Insurance company investigators became suspicious after they found that the man had taken out the policy a few months before the alleged accident.

State's attorney Elvira Gonschorowski-Zehentner said Tuesday that prosecutors had reason to believe the man cut off his own fingers in an attempt to cash in on his insurance.

But the defendant's lawyer, Karl Wampl, dismissed as outlandish the notion that the man would intentionally have mutilated himself in such a fashion, contending he could have used a power saw to cut off his fingers rather than risk death faking an accident with a train.

The suspect has admitted that he had accumulated about euro150,000 ($175,000) in debts at the time he lost the fingers, prosecutors said.

If convicted, the man faces up to 10 years in prison, authorities said.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[rstickle]

And in prision, they will call him "Lefty", and issue him loafers instead of sneakers.

[Free American]

If this guy really did it on purpose...he's nuts and should be put away.

[P95Carry]

Seems like even with no witnesses - he actually ''fingered'' himself!

Hey - in this digital age, thumbody gotta come up with the bad puns

[Scott]

Seems like even with no witnesses - he actually ''fingered'' himself!

Hey - in this digital age, thumbody gotta come up with the bad puns

Oh you didn't....

You did...

That's two thumbs down.

-Scott-

[rocky]

caught him red handed.

[Miggy]

Hey people! Stop pointing fingers and give him a hand!

[Bud White]

Seems like even with no witnesses - he actually ''fingered'' himself!

Hey - in this digital age, thumbody gotta come up with the bad puns

Booo HIzzzz Boooo :madboxer:

[rocky]

gues he just couldn't get a grip on the situation.

[P95Carry]

I knew you guys would knuckle down and palm me off with some other clever stuff

Guess you nailed it

[Scott]

Chris you know we keep this sort of stuff handy.

-Scott-

We need a sane moderator to lock this one down.

[P95Carry]

We need a sane moderator to lock this one down.

Do we have any?? <runs for cover>

[QKShooter]

Hey...Who needs fingers when you can be RICH!?!?

[Bumper]

From someone that has lost a part of three fingers in a jointer, I have to say that guy is nuts....