Adjusters are involved in losses of all varieties on a daily basis. During my career as an independent, I investigated a possible murder case for a life insurance company; interviewed plane crash survivors and handled the hull claim; checked out losses aboard oceanic cruise ships; and inspected damaged nuclear power plant equipment. In a memorable fire claim, I knew that I was working against an organized crime gang in a commercial arson loss. I have been assigned several Miami Beach hotel jewel thefts. At the time — perhaps even still — that was a good way for tourists to pay for their Florida vacations! Every day was a new adventure.

Along the way, I encountered hundreds of auto accidents (some fatalities), numerous "fall-down" claims, and one case involving a network television crew member who drowned in a hotel swimming pool during a political convention. Salvage operations — whether it be a load of burned household furniture aboard a moving van, a truckload of Kosher chicken arriving at 5 a.m. on a Sunday morning, or a damaged pet store full of live tropical fish — required knowing what to do and whom to call. Who said this was a boring job?

Loss is a fascinating subject, whether one is looking at it from a post-loss perspective, as claim adjusters do, or from a pre-loss position, as risk managers do. In both, imagination is a crucial tool. When all that exists is an empty wall safe, a burned-out shell of a store, or a pile of debris being shoveled from the back of a truck that has overturned and burned, it is difficult for an adjuster to envision what happened in order to determine key elements of coverage, liability, and damage evaluation.