This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1930. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property served as the Coast Crane Company's crane rental, sales, and repair facility from 1930 through 2000, with heavy industrial equipment fueled and maintained on site throughout that period. Cleanup under the Standard Cleanup program included removal of five petroleum and waste oil underground storage tanks, excavation of 40 cubic yards of gasoline-contaminated soil, landfarming of excavated material, installation of product recovery wells, and extensive multi-year groundwater monitoring. The site has received a No Further Action determination, and monitoring well decommissioning has been recommended. 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.
Petroleum and waste oil contamination at this property originated from underground storage tanks that served industrial operations dating to 1930 — more than five decades before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with pollution exclusions in 1986. The tanks were not removed until 1989, meaning releases had been occurring beneath the facility for years while historical carriers had policies in force. Documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, soil excavation, landfarming, product recovery, and decades of groundwater monitoring — represent costs those pre-1986 carriers may still be obligated to cover.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.