Best Catch!

 

Recently, Ethos received a rush surveillance assignment from a client who was suspicious of a claim in which the claimant reportedly sustained a lower back injury while lifting a relatively light box. The claimant was diagnosed with a strained back and was ordered by the doctor to rest for a week before returning to work. However, once the week of rest had come and gone, the claimant continued to complain of pain and insisted that he was simply too injured to return to his job, even when offered light duty work. Our client had a hunch that the claimant was exaggerating the extent of his injury and hoped to obtain documentation of the claimant's activities prior to a pending Workers Compensation hearing.

Ethos dispatched investigator Robert Smith to investigate the claim. Arriving in the area of the claimant's residence in the early morning, Investigator Smith surveyed the area and located a discreet position where the claimant could be observed at the front of his residence should he become active.

The claimant was confirmed to be home and stayed indoors throughout the morning. However, toward the middle of the day, the claimant emerged and began what would be a very strenuous afternoon of cleaning and maintenance work around his property. Investigator Smith obtained over an hour of videotape of the claimant rotating the tires on his vehicle, climbing onto his fishing boat, performing maintenance/repairs on several items on the boat, bending at the waist while pull starting a pressure washer, operating the pressure washer to clean his boat and vehicle and to clear leaves and debris from his driveway. The claimant even washed a neighbor's vehicle while he was at it. The claimant displayed no sign of physical restriction throughout the day and was surely pleased with the results of his hard work.

Once the claimant went inside for the day, Investigator Smith slipped away undetected and filed his report that evening. Our client had the report in his inbox the following morning and was thrilled with the results.

At the hearing, the claimant continued to maintain that he was in too much pain to work. However, the video evidence proved otherwise and he was left wishing that he could pressure wash Investigator Smith's hard drive camera. Great job, Robert!

 

 

In each edition of The Examiner, we like to feature one of our Ethos team members in a Q &A session we call The Ethos Eight.  This time around, we caught up with Jason Caroluzzi, Vice President/Northeast Region.  Jason brings enthusiasm and plenty of investigative experience to the Ethos team.

Ethos Risk Services: Where did you grow up?
 
Jason Caroluzzi: I grew up in Ambler, Pennsylvania which is just outside of Philadelphia. 

ERS: What are your favorite sports teams and who is your favorite athlete?
 
JC: I am a huge sports fan.  I live and die by my Phillies!  One of my greatest moments as a sports fan was being at the World Series game in 2008 when the Phillies won the World Series.  Truly a moment I will never forget.  I am also a huge football fan. 
 

ERS: What's your favorite childhood memory?
 
JC: I come from a big Italian family, so our Christmas Eve tradition is probably one of my best memories growing up.  Our entire family always got together and there was always tons of food and tradition.  It is still something I look forward to every year.
 
ERS: How did you get into the investigative/risk mitigation industry? 
 
JC: When I got out of college, I didn't have a clue in the world what I wanted to do. I wanted to start my own business, but I was unsure in what field.  A family friend had been in the investigative industry in years past, and I always found it very intriguing.  He expressed that he wanted to get back in the industry and we decided to become partners.  From there, I was hooked.   I started off as a field investigator and absorbed as much knowledge through research and professionals within the industry as I could.  As I became a better investigator, and continued to get great results, my business began to grow.  Getting into the investigative industry was the best decision I could have made as I truly have a passion for the industry.  
 
ERS: What is your most memorable moment professionally?
 
JC: My best memory as an investigator involved a very high profile case that was close to being settled for several million dollars.  The claimant was allegedly permanently disabled. He claimed he needed a walker or crutches to move around.   After a few days of surveillance, we learned that the claimant was not as injured as he had been claiming. Not only was I able to obtain video of the claimant without a walker or crutches, I was able to obtain video of him jogging several hundred feet to talk to a neighbor.  After several weeks of surveillance, we had plenty of evidence to dispute the claimant's claim.  The case eventually went to trial and my testimony was given.  Due to my surveillance efforts, the case resulted in a victory for the client.
 

ERS: You have had the opportunity to work for some different investigative firms in your career.  How is Ethos different than the others? 
 
JC: Ethos is hands down the best within the industry.  While Ethos is one of the fastest growing companies within the industry, each case is still handled as if it is the most important case we have ever had.  We have realized all of the little things that many of the other investigative companies are doing wrong, and we are taking advantage of that.  We are constantly tweaking and improving on the little things that make a difference.  The reason that we are constantly growing as a company is because of the great people and structure that is in place.   

 

ERS: How has the investigative industry changed since you started your career?
 
JC: I think that technology and the internet have changed the industry drastically.  The internet has a goldmine of information.  Most people have a Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc.  Years ago, this was not the case.  As investigators, it is our job to find the information on each claimant that is hidden throughout the web.  Our internet mining investigations are utilized on most cases and it has allowed us to uncover so much information that was not available years ago.  It is really exciting to grow with technology, and integrate it into our investigations.
 
ERS: If you had to choose another line of work besides this, what would you do?
 
JC: That's a tough one.  I really do have a passion for the investigation industry, and I can't really imagine myself in another industry.  If I had to choose another industry, it would probably be in the fitness or sports industry.