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
Intersection and Sightline Documentation
Documentation of what a driver could and could not see on the approach to an intersection, driveway or crossing, recorded from driver eye height at measured positions. For claims where a view obstruction or late detection is part of the dispute.
- Coverage
- 95 of 95 counties
- Dispatch
- 24 / 7 / 365
- Metro response
- Under 60 min avg.
- Statewide
- 4-hour guarantee
What this service covers
Many intersection disputes turn on a sentence in a statement: I never saw the other vehicle. Whether that is plausible depends on geometry. Hedges, parked vehicles, utility cabinets, signs, embankments, a crest in the road and the angle of the intersecting street all limit how early an approaching vehicle comes into view. Sightline documentation records those limits from the position of the driver's eyes at known distances from the conflict point.
The view from a standing adult on the sidewalk is not the view from a sedan seat, and neither matches a truck cab. Investigators set the camera at an eye height appropriate to the vehicle involved, state the height used, and photograph toward the conflict area and along each intersecting approach from a series of measured stations. The same stations are recorded on video. Where vegetation or lighting is seasonal, the date and conditions are noted.
When a view obstruction is part of the claim
- A driver pulling out from a stop sign says a hedge, wall or parked truck blocked the view of cross traffic.
- A left-turning driver and an oncoming driver each say the other should have been visible in time to react.
- A crest or curve on the through road limits how far ahead a vehicle at the side street can be seen.
- A property owner or road authority may share responsibility because signage, vegetation or a structure obscured a traffic control device.
- The foliage that existed at the time of the crash is about to be trimmed, or will drop with the season.
What the sightline record includes
- Eye-height station photographs
- Photographs are taken at stated eye heights from measured distances back from the stop bar or conflict point, looking ahead and toward each cross approach.
- First point of visibility
- The location at which an approaching vehicle or a target at stated height first becomes visible from each station is measured along the intersecting road.
- Obstruction dimensions
- Height, width and setback of each hedge, wall, sign, cabinet, pole or embankment are measured, along with its distance from the edge of the travel lane.
- Traffic control visibility
- Signals, stop signs and warning signs are photographed from the approach, recording the distance at which each first comes into unobstructed view.
- Vertical and horizontal alignment
- Crests, dips, curves and the angle at which the roads meet are measured, since they limit sight distance even where nothing stands beside the road.
- Lighting and time-of-day view
- Where requested, the approach is documented at the hour of the collision to record sun position, glare, shadow or street lighting as they then appear.
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.
What sightline evidence allows an analyst to examine
With the first point of visibility measured from several stations, an analyst can examine how much distance, and so how much time at a given speed, each driver had from first possible sight of the other to the collision. That is the basis for assessing whether a hazard could have been perceived and responded to. The field record supplies the distances and the views. It does not state what a driver did see, what speed applied, or who bears legal fault.
The documentation also separates fixed from movable obstructions. A retaining wall will be there next year. A delivery truck parked at the corner will not, and its position on the day has to come from statements, photographs or video. Investigators record the fixed environment as found and note any parking that appears routine at the location, such as marked loading zones or on-street spaces near the corner, so the analyst can see where a vehicle could have stood.
Conditions that change the view
Sightlines are not constant. A hedge that blocks a corner in June may be bare in January. Corn in a field beside a rural junction can hide cross traffic in late summer and be gone after harvest. Property owners often trim vegetation soon after a crash, and road crews replace or relocate signs. Documentation close to the date of loss, or at least in the same season, records the view nearest to what the drivers had.
Light matters as well. A low sun aligned with an east-west street, a signal head seen against bright sky, or an unlit rural approach each change what can be detected and when. Where the request calls for it, the visit is timed to match the hour of the collision. Photographs carry timestamps and the notes record weather and lighting. A photograph is not a perfect substitute for human vision, and the notes describe camera settings so an analyst can account for that.
Delator personnel have accident reconstruction experience. The work product is physical evidence and technical findings; it does not determine legal fault, which remains with the parties, the court or a jury.
Delator Claims Division is not an engineering firm. Whether any analysis is accepted in a proceeding is decided by the court.
Common questions about this service
What eye height do you use?
The height is chosen to suit the vehicle involved and is stated in the notes for every photo set. If you or your expert specify a height, for example measured from the actual vehicle or a comparable one, that figure is used. Sets at more than one height can be taken where a car and a truck are both involved.
Can you document the view from inside the actual vehicle?
If the vehicle or a comparable one is available and can be positioned lawfully and safely, photographs can be taken from the driver's seat to show pillars, mirrors and hood line. Investigators do not stop a vehicle in a live lane. Otherwise the documentation is taken from the roadside at stated eye height.
The hedge has already been cut back. Is documentation still useful?
Yes. The remaining stumps, trunks and trim lines are measured and photographed, and the geometry of the intersection is unchanged. Earlier street-level imagery or photographs you supply can be compared with the measured positions. The notes state that the vegetation had been altered before the visit and describe what remained.
Will you say whether the driver should have seen the other vehicle?
No. The documentation reports what was visible from stated positions under stated conditions. Whether a driver should have perceived and reacted is a matter for a reconstruction or human factors analysis and, ultimately, for the adjuster or court. Delator Claims Division does not determine fault and does not give legal advice.
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.