It was on June 17, 1992, that the phrase swoop &squat became a household name. This form of staged accidentswas commonplace on the highways and byways of Los Angeles where Iwas a claims investigator. But this was the day the phrase wentviral.
The catalyst was an accident that occurred on the 5 freeway inthe San Fernando Valley just north of Los Angeles. A black Firebirdhad been rear-ended by a semi that subsequently jack-knifed anddumped its load of cars across the freeway.
In the Firebird, passenger Rubidia Lopez had been partiallyejected and was seriously hurt, requiring the Jaws of Life to saveher. One of the other passengers, Jose Perez, was not quite solucky, losing his life in this vain attempt to cash in on thetruck's lucrative insurance policy. It was this accident thatbrought nationwide attention to organized crime rings that stageswoop and squats from coast to coast.
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