The town of Vernon, Florida became infamous in the late 1950s and 60s for the improbably high percentage of residents who filed insurance claims for lost limbs.
Many speculated that the residents of the town were intentionally dismembering themselves for insurance money.
Despite no real evidence to the speculation, residents of Vernon, population of approximately 800, made millions of dollars on insurance claims, accounting for as many as two thirds of claims nationally.
Filmmaker Errol Morris was inspired to create a documentary about Nub City, as the city was nicknamed. However, he omitted the lost limbs from the movie after receiving death threats while doing research.
It appears the residents of Vernon, Florida didn’t want Morris to reveal their secret.
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