Services
Document a loss
Support a claim
For carriers and employers
Service areas
Middle Tennessee
- Nashville
- Clarksville
- Murfreesboro
- Franklin
- Hendersonville
- Smyrna
- Spring Hill
- Gallatin
- Lebanon
- Columbia
- Brentwood
- Mount Juliet
- La Vergne
- Cookeville
East Tennessee
West Tennessee
Evidence Preservation for Insurance Claims in Tennessee
Physical evidence from a loss is perishable. Delator Claims Division records it in the field before it is repaired, cleaned up, or discarded, so the requesting party holds a dated record of what existed, where it was, and who had it.
- Coverage
- 95 of 95 counties
- Dispatch
- 24 / 7 / 365
- Metro response
- Under 60 min avg.
- Statewide
- 4-hour guarantee
What this service covers
Preserving evidence does not have to mean keeping the object. A damaged guardrail will be replaced, a failed part will go back to a shop, a store will mop its floor. What can be preserved is a thorough record: the item in place, its condition, its position relative to fixed points, and identifying marks. For objects that can be kept, the record also shows who holds them and in what state.
Delator's licensed Tennessee private investigators perform this work for attorneys, insurers, businesses, and individuals. For claimants, policyholders, and their attorneys it is neutral documentation: we record evidence and do not judge what it proves. Delator is not a law firm. Whether a party has a duty to keep something, and what notice to send to someone else holding evidence, are legal questions for an attorney.
When evidence is about to change or disappear
- A failed tire, hitch, ladder, or other component is in someone's possession and needs to be photographed before it is handled further.
- An attorney has sent or is preparing a preservation letter and wants the current state of the evidence recorded independently.
- A business expects a claim and wants the area, equipment, and logs photographed before normal operations resume.
- A road agency or utility is scheduled to repair the damaged pole, barrier, or pavement involved in the loss.
- Several parties want to examine an item later and need an agreed record of its condition before anyone tests it.
What a preservation record contains
- Items in place before removal
- Each object photographed where it was found, with wide views tying it to its surroundings before anyone lifts, moves, or bags it.
- Maker's marks and date codes
- Serial numbers, date codes, manufacturer stamps, inspection tags, and lot numbers on the item, recorded legibly so it can be distinguished from similar ones.
- Fracture and wear surfaces
- Broken edges, worn areas, corrosion, and deformation photographed closely with scale, without cleaning, fitting pieces together, or otherwise altering the surfaces.
- Custody at the time of the visit
- Who holds the item, where and how it is stored, and how it is packaged or tagged, as observed and as reported to the investigator.
- Short-lived conditions
- Fluid spills, standing water, ice, loose gravel, or spilled cargo that will not last, recorded with the time, weather, and temperature noted.
- Posted logs and readouts
- Inspection sheets, sweep logs, maintenance tags, and equipment readouts visible on site, photographed as posted when access is permitted.
From request to delivered record
- RequestCall dispatch or submit the request form with the location, loss type and urgency.
- DeployDispatch assigns the nearest available licensed field investigator through the statewide network.
- DocumentPhotographs, video, measurements and factual notes are captured once the scene is safe to work.
- PreserveFiles are timestamped, organized and kept in their original form with a record of who captured them.
- ReportThe package is delivered securely to the requesting party, typically the same day.
How evidence is lost in ordinary ways
Most evidence disappears through routine activity, not through anyone's intent. Road crews replace damaged signs, property managers repair what broke, shops discard old parts, and businesses overwrite camera recordings on a fixed cycle. Weather and traffic remove marks from pavement. People involved in a loss often do not realize that an ordinary cleanup has removed the only physical trace of what happened.
Because of that, the timing of a preservation visit is driven by whatever will change first. An Emergency deployment puts an investigator on site in 30 minutes to four hours when a repair or cleanup is imminent. For items already in secure storage, a Routine visit in one to two days may be enough. Dispatch operates around the clock in all 95 Tennessee counties.
Keeping the record reliable for later use
A preservation record is only as useful as its traceability. Each photograph and video file carries a timestamp, images move from wide to close so every detail can be located, and field notes state who was present, what was observed, and what was not accessible. The investigator does not test, clean, disassemble, or reassemble items, since doing so could change them before a consultant examines them.
The finished file goes to the requesting party, who decides how to use it. Attorneys may attach it to correspondence or provide it to a consultant. Insurers place it in the claim file. Whether any item of evidence is accepted in a proceeding is decided by the court, and Delator makes no representation on that point. The role here is to record accurately and deliver promptly.
On this assignment Delator field personnel record what is physically present: photographs, video, measurements and factual notes. They do not adjust, appraise or value the loss, do not determine coverage, cause or fault, and do not represent any party to the claim.
Delator Claims Division is not a law firm, an insurer or an engineering firm, and nothing on this page is legal advice.
Common questions about this service
Will Delator send a preservation letter to the other party?
No. Preservation or spoliation letters are legal correspondence, and Delator is not a law firm. An attorney prepares and sends them. Delator can document the evidence the letter concerns, so there is a record of its condition at a known date regardless of what happens afterward.
Can you take possession of the evidence and store it?
This service is documentation of evidence in the field. The notes record who holds each item and how it is kept. If long-term storage or a formal custody arrangement is needed, raise it when requesting the assignment so the options can be discussed before the visit.
Can you obtain surveillance video from a business?
Investigators can identify cameras that face the location and ask the owner whether footage exists and whether they will voluntarily provide or retain it. They cannot compel anyone to hand it over. The surveillance video canvass page describes that service in more detail.
How quickly does evidence need to be documented?
It depends on what the evidence is. Fluids, debris, and marks on a travelled road may be gone within hours, while a stored vehicle or component can remain unchanged for weeks. When you call, describe what exists and who controls it, and dispatch will match the deployment tier to the situation.
Available statewide, including
Every Tennessee county is covered. See the deployment map for typical response tiers by county.
Request documentation anywhere in Tennessee
Dispatch is staffed around the clock. For time-sensitive scenes, calling is fastest; the request form works for routine and scheduled assignments.