This property has a documented history as a auto body / repair shop predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This Bremerton property's building dates to 1914 and has housed multiple commercial operations over its history, including automotive repair businesses operating under the names Ward Radiator and Chico's Automotive. Petroleum contamination was identified in soil across four underground hydraulic lift areas and two underground storage tank locations, with TPH gasoline, TPH diesel, PAHs, benzene, and xylenes detected throughout. Remediation achieved No Further Action status following excavation and off-site thermal desorption of 488 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated soil, removal of both USTs, and restoration of excavations with clean backfill. 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 underground storage tanks at this property were likely installed no later than the mid-1970s — well within the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The contamination here, arising from both leaking USTs and underground hydraulic lift systems, reflects automotive repair operations that predate 1986 by at least a decade. The documented remediation costs — thermal desorption of nearly 500 cubic yards of impacted soil, UST removals, and full site restoration — are the kind of expenditures that historical carriers whose policies covered this property during that operational window may still be obligated to recover.
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.
