WHEN SUBROGATION POTENTIAL
exists, recovering large losses is imperative to a carrier’s bottom line. Yet often these losses can present the most
challenges to subrogation efforts.
In fire claims, for instance, successful subrogation requires fire scene preservation and the recovery of physical evidence from suspected areas of origin.
But what if extensive damages have
created a hazardous scene for investigators? Structural collapses caused by
fires, explosions or other weather-relat-ed perils can make access to important
areas of a scene impossible. When
structural integrity is compromised, the
most commonly-employed solutions to
accessing and retrieving evidence are
costly and time consuming.
That’s where robotic technology has
changed the outlook of subrogation for
these losses. Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs), such as Donan’s military-grade robot Scio Surveyor 7, are creating
opportunities to subrogate losses even
when access to a property is impeded or
impossible. This innovative solution can
be deployed immediately to document
evidence before the scene is altered,
and offers substantial cost savings to
traditional crane and demolition efforts
utilized to reach inaccessible areas.
Donan’s robot has been deployed
across the country in commercial and
industrial fire losses where structural integrity was compromised. Scio Surveyor
7 streams video as it navigates a scene,
captures photos, and can remove physical evidence. This intel provides two essential insights to carriers and investigators: the ability to identify subrogation
potential, and the ability to rule it out.
Identifying Hotspots
In July, Scio Surveyor 7 aided the Louis-
ville Fire Department in their investiga-
tion of a massive fire that broke out on
historic West Main Street in downtown
Louisville, Ky. Named “Whiskey Row,”
these buildings are the second largest
collection of cast-iron facades in the
U.S. — second only to New York City’s
SoHo district. Portions of the buildings
collapsed and it was unsafe for anyone
to enter. The robot was able to access
the building and record HD imagery as
well as stream real-time video from four
cameras to the investigators. Scio also
identified hotspots and captured images
from the area of origin. This enabled
investigators to confirm the suspected
cause of loss was sparks produced by
cutting tools used by crews as part of
the historic buildings’ restoration efforts.
“This technology is really changing the way these investigations take
place, and providing more opportunity
to pursue subrogation because we’re
able to collect information that would’ve
been impossible before. Traditionally, if
there’s a roof collapse, a crane might
be utilized to demolish a building piece
by piece to get to an area of interest.
But with Scio, we can access the scene
within hours or days of the loss and col-
lect the necessary evidence,” said Mat-
thew Kenney, P.E., CFEI, Donan’s techni-
cal program manager.
Robot versus Crane
In Pine Bluff, Ark., Scio was deployed
during an industrial fire investigation in
order to access the suspected area of
origin located in a collapse zone. Video and images captured by the robot
provided 360-degree views of the fire
scene and gave the carrier a clearer
understanding of the fire scene as a
whole. Prior to deploying the robot, the
carrier planned to utilize a crane to remove the roof and gain better access
to the site.
“The robot was a nondestructive alternative that could potentially identify
a specific area of focus or eliminate the
need for a crane altogether,” explained
Jim Caton, IAAI-CFI, CFEI, CVFI, Donan
senior fire investigator. Visual evidence
showed little potential for successful
subrogation due to the extent of the
damage, the presence of numerous
combustible materials and chemicals,
and the age of the equipment in the
area of origin. Insights provided by the
robot’s data eliminated the need for the
crane deployment, saving substantial
costs and time.
Ground-breaking technology like Scio
Surveyor 7 promises to improve subrogation processes and success. Donan
leads the industry in a number of innovative solutions to serve carriers’ subrogation goals, as well as all aspects of
their claims process. Visit donan.com to
find out more about our innovative tools.
Duane Battcher is the managing director for
DONAN.
Robotic Technology Provides Subro Insights
By Duane Battcher