College Student with Leg Amputations Tried to Collect $1.3 Million Payout, But Investigators Say He Did the Unthinkable with Dry Ice
One Taiwanese man’s effort to bilk insurance companies of more than a million dollars has left him facing criminal charges after the scheme he allegedly concocted led to the amputation of both legs below the knees.
The college student’s name is only given as Chang. He claimed that he suffered frostbite on his legs riding his scooter around Taiwan, according to the Taiwan News, and tried to collect about $1.3 million in insurance money.
But Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau said their investigation showed that long-term exposure to dry ice led to the severe frostbite and necrosis that forced doctors to amputate his lower legs.
Taipei man freezes off legs with dry ice for NT$41 million insurance payout https://t.co/KaRRiYNfW8 pic.twitter.com/UqOlGZd1C6
— Taiwan News (@TaiwanNewsEN) March 14, 2024
The indictment says that Chang and a friend named Liao acquired the dry ice on January 26, 2023.
Change then sat bound to a chair for more than 10 hours while his feet were in a bucket filled with dry ice, investigators allege.
Liao recorded and photographed the session, officials charged.
Chang was hospitalized two days later. After several days, the amputations took place.
Although some insurance companies paid claims, the fact that insurance was purchased from several companies just before the incident gave rise to suspicions, according to Newsweek.
Chang’s claim that he had suffered frostbite met a chilly reception.
“Taiwan is a subtropical region. There are no known cases of serious frostbite requiring amputation due to natural climate factors in the flatlands,” the CIB wrote in a news release.
In fact, data it gathered showed that on the day of the alleged scooter incident, temperatures ranged from the low 40s Fahrenheit to the low 60s.
The agency also said the injuries were too symmetrical to appear natural, and suggested Change was not wearing shoes or socks when allegedly riding his scooter.
The Taiwan News said Chang told police his friend Liao warned him that gang members were after him, prompting the stunt.
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office instead charged both men with fraud and embezzlement.
A report in the Straits Times said Liao had suffered cryptocurrency losses and had been seeking cash, and was the mastermind of the scheme.
Chang had signed a note promising to give more than half of any insurance money to Liao, the report said.
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