DALLAS — Dallas police are seeing a new type of insurance scam after investigating a massive crash.
'Ghost' insurance is leaving crash victims footing the bill for repairs and injuries.
It happened to Teresa Miranda, who was hit head-on by a Jeep driver going 100 miles per hour in January.
She was in the hospital for three weeks with 13 rib fractures, broken knees and arms and a broken pelvis.
"I can't sleep, I can't turn. I can't even shower by myself," Miranda said. "I didn't see it coming."
Dallas police said the driver and others in the Jeep ran away from the crash, leaving Miranda bleeding to death.
"They left me there to die," Miranda said. "They don't care."
Police are looking for Jesus Osorio, who they say was in the Jeep and can tell them who was driving.
They want that driver not only for hitting Miranda, but also for having fake insurance.
“The detective gave me [a] name with insurance but when we call[ed], they have no insurance and don't have [a] car registered in there,” Miranda said.
State law requires that all drivers have insurance, but some people may have found a way around that.
Police said that when they ran the Jeep’s VIN number, the database showed it was insured. But when they called the insurance company, it was registered to someone else in a different vehicle.
"Yes, I was surprised,” Miranda said.
Miranda had insurance on her car, but no medical coverage, so she is now left having to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket.
When drivers get their cars inspected, they must show proof of insurance. That information, along with the VIN number, goes into a state database that police can access.
Police believe the culprit putting in the fake information is either someone with an insurance company, or a mechanic, who is being paid to doctor the information.