PAP SMEARED Did L-Lo mow down a photog? You decide

Even paparazzi agency heads say the wailing photog who flopped on the pavement claiming to be hit by a Lindsay Lohan-driven BMW is a faker. So who is buying the story? Bottom-feeding personal injury attorneys, of course! And Access Hollywood.

"Any driver in New York has to conform with the rules of the road, the most important of which is to see that which there is to be seen. Clearly, the photographer was there to be seen. And Ms. Lohan violated several rules and regulations in the operation of her vehicle," says Andrew Finkelstein, managing partner with subway system-advertisers Jacoby & Meyers (1-877-JMLawyer). "Since those violations resulted in injury, he clearly has a viable claim."

On the other hand, managers of paparazzi agencies—the go-getters constantly hunting for flashed crotches and shorn celebrity skulls—call foul.

"Do you really think that being hit at less than one mile per hour would result in a major injury, forcing you to lay motionless on the ground until paramedics arrive? I think not," says Howard Raishbrook, head of video production for Splash News & Picture Agency. Splash wouldn't work with such a weasely photog, he insists, but the tactics of the trashy shooter do look familiar. "I wouldn't say this type of behavior is normal, but it seems to be on the rise. There seems to be more and more photographers out on the street, so I'm not surprised things get messy every now and again."

Kelly Davis, vice president of celebrity photo agency X17, agrees. "My original impression when viewing the video was that it was totally fake and set up. Even the other bystanders' or photogs' voices in the background sounded completely staged and rehearsed. And it didn't look like she actually hit the guy at all. Very, very odd."

Though he clutches his hip in the video, the shooter was treated at an L.A.-area hospital for a "bruised knee," according to Access Hollywood.

The NBC show was one of the first to take the bait in its online account of the 3 a.m. incident outside of nightclub Butter, and later as part of a Billy Bush-voiced, scandalous report. It then goes so far as to quote "Linday Lohan" as saying, "I totally did that," and, "I saw him" after getting out of the car. But even a first-time viewer of the video hears that same quote as: "He totally did that ... I saw him do it."

Splash's Raishbrook offers this note of explanation for the photog's pratfall: "Maybe he thinks that Lindsay's attorney will pay big money for a hit and run—poor guy, hope he's okay."