This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1942. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property operated as a gasoline service station from 1942 until the mid-1970s, with pump islands and underground storage tanks directly adjacent to the SR 92 right of way. Contamination from leaking USTs — including gasoline, heavy oil, and lead — was first discovered in 1994, with follow-up investigations conducted in 2009 confirming that the underground storage tanks remain in the ground. No active cleanup has been performed to date; a future remediation approach involving soil excavation during road repaving has been proposed but not yet commenced. 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 contamination at this site originated from fuel storage and dispensing operations that ran for more than three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The underground storage tanks installed during that era remain in place and the contamination they caused has gone unremediated for over thirty years since its discovery. The cleanup costs the property now faces — tank removal, soil excavation, and any required groundwater remediation — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during the station's 1942-to-mid-1970s operational window.
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.
