Need Insurance Adjuster

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RumDiet

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My friend's boat sank at the dock for no apparent reason - they are suspecting foul play. Can anyone suggest a private insurance adjuster in the New Haven CN area, who is familiar with boats????
 
Adjuster or surveyor?
Seems simple.
Haul boat.
Add water to engine room or cabin area and see where it comes out!
Boat is already trashed, ain't gonna make it worse!
 
You need a competent marine surveyor and an experienced trial lawyer. You can bet that is the team the underwriter is using.
 
Its not me - its a friends boat. And yes, the boat was raised - hauled, pumped out, and put back in the water - no leaks! Theory is some kind of sabotage. Any referrals would be appreciated. Thanks
 
Ok, understand it is friends boat, but if it's floating now, how is the guy gonna figure it out. Is float switch working? Bilge pump working? We got a tremendous rainstorm last week.
Is it located in a calm place, can it be swamped?
I would assume sabotage would still be evident if sabotaged.
Even if you pulled the plug, the plug would still be out, unless they put it back after it sunk!
If they put garden hose in boat, bilge pump should keep up.
What size boat?
Not sure any adjuster or surveyor will figure this out.
 
CurrentSea - Yes bilge pumps were working - Not sure if they will ever find the answer - but my friend needs an adjuster on her side to get her through this. Larger cruiser type boat 35' approx.
This happened Thurs of last week. They got a call at 10:00 am that the boat was riding low in the water - buy 10:30 she was down!
 
ok, I am no adjuster and not sure you will find one that can say what happened.
There are lots of things that can cause a boat to sink.
The most obvious one is something that lets water in.
But, if your saying it floated afterwards and there is no leaks, then we have to look to something from above.
Bilge is working, so rain water would of been pumped out
What about ropes?
Was boat tied properly?
I once saw a guy tie his rope up high around a pole, rope slid down pole to below water surface at low tide, high tide came up, rope held boat down to the point where water started running in thru the thru holes. Eventually it overtakes what the bilge can do or bilge dies if just on battery.
I would not be to quick to say sabotoge and besides, insurance should cover it either way!
 
What L. Keith said. An adjuster isn't going to get you anywhere now. The insurance Co isn't going to pay off if they can prove the owner sabotaged the boat. Criminal charges would also be likely.
 
I think my friend should decide if an adjuster is needed - anyone have a referral?
 
Just what is it that this friend of yours expects an insurance adjuster to do?

George
 
Assist in settling her claim with the ins co - thats what adjusters are supposed to do.
 
If the hull underwriter has evidence of foul play from an independent third party there is no "claim". You can only make a "claim" on an insurance contract for a fortuitous loss. Get a reputable/competent marine surveyor to inspect the boat and write a detailed report with his/her opinion on the proximate cause of the sinking and what damages are as a direct result of that sinking. Use the experienced trial lawyer to make sure/remind the underwriter to follow the applicable law in your state.
 
I agree that foul play seems unlikely (lest your friend has some serious enemies). Boats go down all the time for all sorts of quirky and unforeseen reasons. A surveyor probably is your best bet -- but is this getting the cart before the horse? The first step would to report the incident to her insurance company. They are likely to send out their adjuster who will seek to determine the cause and put a dollar amount on the damage. Have they done that already???
 
The insurance company provides the adjuster , not the owner.

Was she connected to shore water supply. Lots of boats go down due to water left on and a leak develops somewhere in the system.

Suggested course of action: Call insurance company. Boat went down. You know NOTHING. DON'T SPECULATE.

Any clouds you create will delay settlement.
 
OK thanks for your respnses. No - boat not connected to shore water - everything was shut down. Case has been reported to Insurance co and PD. Adjuster from Ins co is not advocating for my friend - he works for the co - adverse interest. She needs a private adjuster. There are lots listed - problem is none are familiar with boats. I will send this thread to her.
 
You will know how serious the insurance company is if charges are filed against your friend. In NJ there is an insurance fraud task force run by the state. These are mostly retired investigators from law enforcement that are working on their second state pension plans. They are very serious. If your friend is in any financial straights they will know it and many innocent people have been charged with insurance fraud. I would start by hiring a marine surveyor who specializes in reconstruction of events or accidents leading up to a claim. They are out there. Al Prisco in the Boat Survey section of this board could probably tell you what to do and who to use if it's out of his area. So at this point I assume what's left of the boat is still her's.
Bill
 
When my boat was damaged by a hurricane I felt that the adjuster was on y side as much as the insurance co side, in fact it seemed that he went out of his way to make sure my boat was put back in the same contrition (or better) than before the storm. After repairs were started my mechanic determined that both steering cables were damaged by salt water, he suggested going with hydraulic steering. I figured this would at least partially come out of my pocket .... no so, the adjuster said "Have him sent the bill to us"! Progressive Ins.
 
Interesting take Bill - lots of reasons why she should not be accused - but I hear ya!

Oh and already sent her to Al - its the first thing I did!
 
I'm confused. Who is suspecting foul play? The insurance company against the owner? Or the owner against some other third party?
 
If your friend did nothing wrong, she should wait for the insurance company to issue it's findings. Why waste the money if the company is going to pay in full?
 
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