This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop going back to 1970. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has been in continuous vehicle maintenance use since the facility was built in 1970, with successive tenants — Evergreen Trails / Cascade Trailways, Gray Lines, and Great American RV — all operating bus, RV, and fleet maintenance operations on the site before its current use as an autobody repair and detailing facility. Contamination was linked to an underground storage tank removed in 1994 and an oil/water separator, both associated with diesel-range organics in soil and groundwater. Remediation included excavation of the oil/water separator and contaminated soils in 1997, Oxygen Release Compound injections at 14 locations in 1999 and 2001, and participation in the Voluntary Cleanup Program from 2003 to 2009. Cleanup work is ongoing. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible
Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.
The diesel contamination at this property traces directly to underground storage and oil-water separation infrastructure that was in service from 1970 onward — more than fifteen years before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still lacked an effective pollution exclusion. The UST's estimated installation date of 1969 and the long succession of maintenance operators mean that multiple pre-1986 policy periods are potentially implicated in the contamination that drove remediation. The documented cleanup expenditures — tank removal, soil excavation, bioremediation injections, and six years of VCP participation — represent costs that historical carriers covering those operators during the pre-1986 window may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
