Incident summary

A truck scattered an estimated 840kg of scrap metal shards across 30kms of a major highway, triggering hundreds of vehicle damage claims including punctured tyres and bent rims, as well as towing costs, missed flights and business interruption. Regulatory clean-up and investigations added complexity to the situation. A leading Australian insurer partnered quickly with our Digital First liability team to deliver a rapid, scalable and transparent response tailored specifically to the circumstances of the event and the resultant approximately 800 claims.

What the insurer faced

• A surge of similar, low-to-medium value third-party claims
• Pressure for fast, consistent decisions
• Need for coordinated communication across insurers, brokers, authorities and adjusters
• Balancing brand trust with indemnity and expense control

The solution we delivered

Event-specific digital FNOL intake

• 99% claims finalised in less than 90 days
• Custom web form launched within three days, accessible via QR code, SMS and email
• Captured key details: travel info, tyre/rim/vehicle damage, towing, photos, invoices, bank details
• Enabled easy, device-agnostic lodgement – no call required

Automated registration and smart triage

• Claims auto lodged via Smart.ly web form application into our claims management system
• Low-value claims routed to Digital First team for fast assessment
• Complex cases escalated to senior adjusters

Integrated validation and pricing controls

• Image metadata verified against incident time/location
  to detect fraud risk
• Tyre/wheel costs checked against benchmarks and depreciation rules
• Escalation pathways for high-spec vehicles or larger claims

Scalable contact centre support

• 24/7 local call centre activated same day and over weekend
• Dedicated line shared with trucking company and media to direct claimants to Sedgwick
• Standardised scripts ensured consistent messaging and expectations

Governance and risk

• Delivered within Sedgwick’s existing Complaints, Vulnerable Customer and AFSL governance frameworks
• Insurer kept notified and kept informed, with option to manage sensitive claims directly

Key milestones

• 2 hours to establish a locally based team to take calls
• 4 hours from link published to receipt of first claim
• 100% claims scanned for fraud indicators
• 3 days from event to launch of Smart.ly FNOL link
• 98% of claimants used Smart.ly
• 99% of claims finalised in less than 90 days