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
Recorded Statements for Carriers and Defense Counsel
Delator Claims Division takes in-person recorded statements from insureds, claimants and witnesses for insurance carriers, self-insured entities, third-party administrators and their counsel. This service is not offered to policyholders or claimants, who can request neutral documentation. Every statement is recorded with the subject's knowledge and consent.
- Coverage
- 95 of 95 counties
- Dispatch
- 24 / 7 / 365
- Metro response
- Under 60 min avg.
- Statewide
- 4-hour guarantee
What this service covers
A statement taken by telephone from a call center captures words. A statement taken in person, at the place the person lives or works or at the scene itself, captures more: the witness can point to where they stood, sketch the positions of the vehicles, and be asked follow-up questions by someone who has seen the location. For contested claims, carriers often want that level of detail.
Delator's investigators travel to the subject, explain who they are and which company requested the statement, and ask permission to record. That permission is repeated on the recording at the start and confirmed at the end. A person who declines to be recorded is not recorded. If they are willing to talk without a recording, the investigator takes notes and reports the conversation as an unrecorded interview.
When an in-person statement is worth the trip
- An independent witness listed on a crash report has not returned the adjuster's calls and may respond to a visit in person.
- An insured's account contains gaps that need patient, detailed questioning better handled face to face with photographs of the scene in hand.
- A witness has limited English or a hearing difficulty that makes a telephone statement unreliable, and an interpreter must be arranged.
- Several employees saw a loss at an insured business, and the carrier wants each one questioned separately on the same day.
- An unrepresented claimant has agreed to give a statement, and the carrier wants a neutral investigator, not the handling adjuster, to take it.
What a recorded statement assignment includes
- Consent on the record
- The subject's agreement to be recorded, stated at the opening of the recording along with the date, time, location and names of everyone present.
- Identity and background
- Full name, contact details and relationship to the parties, so the carrier can assess whether the witness is independent and can be reached again.
- Narrative account
- The subject's own uninterrupted description of events first, followed by specific questions drawn from the carrier's outline and the investigator's knowledge of the scene.
- Diagrams and photo references
- Sketches drawn by the subject or marks made on scene photographs, each referred to aloud so the recording and exhibit can be matched.
- Closing confirmation
- A final question asking whether the statement was given voluntarily, whether the subject understood the questions, and whether anything should be added or corrected.
- Audio file and summary
- The complete unedited audio delivered securely with a written summary of key points; verbatim transcription can be arranged at the client's request.
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.
Consent and fairness to the person being questioned
No statement is recorded without the subject knowing it. The investigator states who requested the statement before the recorder is turned on and again once it is running. The subject is told they may stop at any time. If a claimant says they have an attorney, the interview does not go forward, and the carrier is told so that any further contact can be made through that attorney.
Questions are asked in plain language and are not designed to trap. The investigator does not suggest answers, summarize the subject's words in more favorable terms, or turn the recorder off and on during the interview. If a break is needed, the time of the pause and the time of resumption are stated on the recording. A statement taken this way holds up better when it is later compared with testimony.
Why timing and preparation shape the result
Memory of a sudden event fades and reshapes quickly. Within weeks, a witness may blend what they saw with what they later heard from others. Details such as which lane a vehicle was in, the color of a signal, or whether a floor was wet are the first to become uncertain. A statement taken soon after the loss, before the witness has discussed it repeatedly, tends to be more specific and more consistent.
Preparation matters as much. Before the interview, the investigator reviews the claim facts supplied by the carrier, the crash or incident report, and photographs of the location, and visits the scene when the assignment allows. Carriers and counsel can supply a question outline or specific topics to cover. The investigator follows it and also asks the follow-up questions that an answer naturally raises, which a scripted telephone interview often misses.
This service is available to insurance carriers, self-insured entities, third-party administrators and the attorneys who represent them. Delator reports facts and observed indicators; decisions on coverage, liability, settlement and any fraud referral remain with the client.
It is not offered to policyholders or claimants, and Delator does not act as a public adjuster. Policyholders and claimants can request neutral scene documentation instead.
Common questions about this service
Do you record anyone without telling them?
No. Every recorded statement is taken with the subject's knowledge and consent, and that consent is stated on the recording itself. A person who does not want to be recorded is not recorded, and the report notes that they declined.
Can you take a statement from a claimant who has an attorney?
Not directly. If a claimant is represented, Delator does not contact them for a statement. The carrier or its counsel can arrange any statement through the claimant's attorney, and Delator can attend to record it if both sides agree.
Do you provide a transcript?
The standard deliverable is the complete, unedited audio recording with a written summary. A verbatim transcript can be arranged when the carrier or counsel requests one. The audio remains the primary record, and the summary identifies time markers for the main points.
Can a statement be taken at the accident scene?
Yes, when the subject is willing and the location is safe. Having a witness stand where they stood and describe what they saw helps clarify distances and sightlines. The investigator photographs the witness's stated position and viewpoint as part of the assignment.
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.