This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property on Vashon Island operated as an auto wrecking yard — Island Auto Wrecking — handling junk vehicles and old appliances for many years prior to at least 1990, when a complaint documented oil and PCB dumping at the facility. Site investigations and hazard assessments have identified lead contamination at 320 ppm and petroleum hydrocarbons from oil spills in the soil, with PCBs also confirmed as contaminants of concern. No remediation activities have yet commenced; the site is at the investigation and notice stage under Washington's Standard Cleanup program, with future cleanup actions still to be determined. 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 lead, petroleum hydrocarbons, and PCBs found at this wrecking yard trace directly to vehicle dismantling and chemical handling operations that were well established before 1986 — the year occurrence-based CGL policies stopped reliably covering pollution claims. A 1991 investigation confirmed ongoing oil releases from stored vehicles, and the 1990 complaint described an already-existing yard, placing the contamination origin squarely within the pre-1986 policy window. As the property now faces the full cost of an Ecology-required cleanup — investigation design, excavation, and long-term monitoring — historical carriers whose policies were in force during those early operations may be obligated to fund those remediation expenditures.
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.
