The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-11-15
PROBING THE cLAIMs.
How Street Railroads Meet De-
mands for Damages.

Minute Examinations Made ts Guard
Against Fraud-GcneralIy Conn
promise Results Instead of n Legal
Complication.
There Is no more striking example OF
fine and logical system than the claim
department OF great street railroad cor
porntion. Indeed Il would be system
run mad were It not for the fact that
every link in the long chain Of events
which binds an accident to a settlement
is. ON the one hand, a safeguard to the
company against fraud and. ON the other.
an assurance to the honest claimant that
his case is receiving a careful and search
ing investigation
The number and variety Of the de-
mands for damages made upon street
railroad corporation are surprising, but
no matter how trivial or how serious
complaint may be all are treated exactly
alike and all are subject to the same rou-
tine, whether 1t be Giuseppe Caponsac-
chi, whose pushcart has lost wheel. or
the banker who has been thrown from
his carriage.
The claim department OF one Of the
largest street railroad corporations in the
country employs 20 men. Last year those
20 men investigated nearly 10000 claims
and paid damages amounting to $1OOOOO.
an average OF $35 a claim The claim
department has to contend with every
sort of fraud, and it Is partly to stamp
fraud as fraud that an intricate system
has been built up.
Two cases illustrating the desire Of the
general public to "do" railroad corpora
ton came up recently not 1000 miles
A frI he.
suffered so badly that she couldn't an
nounce u visitors name without getting
tangled asked street railroad company
for damages. She said that a car started
suddenly and threw her to the pavement.
When she recovered from the shock she
found that she had an impeachment in her
speech. 1t was proved TO the satisfaction
of every one except the girl and her law
yer that she had suffered ever since she
began to talk.
In another instance a man who assert
ed that he had been permanently injured
in a collision sued the company for $2o,-
600 damages. Two days before the trial
the company's attorney invited him TO
compromise for $4,000. He declined.
When the case came to trial, the judge
dismissed it on the victims own testi-
mony. These instances may be excep-
tons. If they are exceptions they prove
a rule which points to the necessity for
a careful and systematic investigation by
the claim department OF every claim pre-
scented.
1t is interesting to trace the various
steps which lead up to a settlement. Sup
pose trolley car runs into truck driv-
en- by John Doe Of 100 East One Hun
dreth street A wheel is knocked off the
truck and John Doe hits the pavement
with his head. The conductor and the
motorman Immediately jump from the
car. Allowing John Doe to shift for HIM
self, they get the names and addresses of
as many witnesses of the accident rs pos
sible. When they finish their run, they
fill out blanks, which are kept at each
depot
Certain questions ON each blank must
be answered-for example, tho number
OF the car, the number Of passengers
aboard at the time of the accident, wheth-
er night or day, whether an inspector was
present. the policeman present and his
number and so on at some length. 1t Is
always difficult to induce witnesses to
give their names, and they are likely to
hide behind fictitious names or the names
of friends, a practice which sometimes
The reports made by the motorman and
conductor, with the names of the witness
es, are Immediately referred to the CEN
trail office, whore the case is turned over
TO the chief investigator. He sends his
subordinates out to see the witnesses. In
as many cases as possible signed state
ments OF the circumstances of the acct
dent are obtained. The reports of the
| investigators and the wagon builder are
| handed over to a force of typewriters,
| who transcribe the written statements
and COLLEGIATE them as Case No. $4,000"
or whatever number ii may happen to be.
The doctor who attended John Doe sends
to the company statement of the ex-
tent of his patients injuries, and the
company's physician calls up the doctor
on the telephone TO get his professional
opinion on Mr. Does case. Then mo.
$4,000 goes to a reader.
The duty of the reader Is to examine
| carefully the papers in the case as put
before him in the form of the reports
| from the investigating department. He
/ is supposed to separate the salient points
| from the mass Of detail. He must report
| the number of witnesses seen, how many
favor the company and how many favor
the truck and John Doe and whether in
| his judgment the company is liable. Then
| he turns over the case to the claim ad.
| juster. Up to this point the investigation
may have occupied two days or two
| weeks.
The claim adjuster is lawyer. with a
lawyers insight into human nature and
| lawyers appreciation Of the power OF
| Mammon. He decides at just what
| price the company should settle and sends
his men out to see John Doe and the
owner OF the truck. IL these last are
wise. they win sign receipts and accept
what the company sends. II they aren't,
the case will go to the courts. The price
set by the claim adjuster is likely to be-
final, and discretion is generally the bet
| ter part of ya,or.
This, in brief. is the process through
which each of perhaps 10000 claims must
go. So thoroughly is the work done that
no claimant ever receives excessive dam
| ages. He gets what he deserves and not
cent more.-New York Mail and Elk