Strongman claimed for whiplash – then pulled eight-ton tractor two weeks later

Scott Maw handed £25,000 legal bill after competing in a Highland Games a fortnight after car crash he said injured him

A champion strongman was filmed taking part in weightlifting competitions including pulling an eight-ton tractor two weeks after he claimed a whiplash-style injury.
In a “blatantly dishonest” claim, Scott Maw told his GP he was struggling to carry shopping bags, carry out DIY tasks and even get in and out of his bath after a car crash,  a court was told.
However, the 36-year-old was seen showing “superhuman strength” by pulling a tractor at the Peak District Highland Games just a fortnight after a crash.
He also carried a weight of 26 stones (165kg), and was crowned King of the Log Press after lifting logs weighing 18 stones (120kg) eight times a minute.
Six months later, despite claiming his injury problems were persisting as he pursued compensation, he won the Yorkshire’s Strongest Man competition.
As a result, the real extent of his injuries was contested by the driver of the other car at Sheffield county court.
Mr Maw insisted he was only able to compete because his symptoms were “intermittent” and that he had only now dropped his case because things “spiralled out of control”.
He will have to pay the other side’s legal costs of £15,000 that, when added to his own fees, will take his total bill to £25,000.
The case was launched in August 2022, after plasterer Mr Maw’s Vauxhall Insignia was involved in a crash with a Ford van.
He claimed to have suffered from a whiplash-type problem from a shoulderblade injury.
Graeme Mulvoy, a lawyer, said Mr Maw was examined by a GP in September 2022 and January last year. There was no visible sign of injury and was “all based on his account”.
Mr Mulvoy said he was able to do tasks “requiring superhuman strength” while at the same time claiming that “carrying shopping was too difficult”.
Mr Maw told The Daily Mail he has now retired from strongman events and still suffers from shoulder pain caused by the accident.
He said he had “intermittent pain but was still managing to go to work and the gym”.
Mr Maw added he was able to compete in the Highland Games because he was used to “working with niggles”, but his insurers pulled out when they found out he had taken part.
He denied being dishonest, adding: “I still get pain in my shoulder now, I must have jarred it.
“I know how it’s being perceived, but it’s not the truth.”