Great American Environmental Division Demonstrates Success
The following success stories demonstrate how Great American Environmental Division’s core products and services help enable businesses to effectively and efficiently manage risks that can threaten their financial security.
Highway Expansion Project:
A highway expansion project resulted in multiple claims involving nearby homeowners. During construction, contaminated rainwater runoff diverted to nearby properties, causing sediment and debris to damage the natural spring water supply. In addition, to provide adequate foundations for bridge supports, pumping of fly ash and grout was required. The pumping excess was discharged into abandoned coal mines and resulted in well water contamination.
Originally, it appeared that the affected properties would need to readjust to the municipal water line, which would have involved significant costs due to the distance associated with extending the line. Great American Environmental’s consultants undertook a comprehensive analysis and delivered an alternative and cost effective solutions involving wells and water treatment systems.
Brownfield Redevelopment:
The insured purchased parcels of land that included an old retail center and former school. The plan was to redevelop the site into a mixed commercial and residential complex. At the last moment, insurance was required to address the lender’s concerns with potential bodily injury and cleanup costs arising from historical site activities, including a leaking underground storage tank (UST).
Great American worked with the insured’s broker to provide historical and new (operational) coverage for bodily injury, property damage and cleanup costs. The UST was a known issue to be addressed by a separate escrow, so cleanup coverage was structured to provide for future regulatory re-opener actions. The bodily injury and property damage exposures were addressed with the policy's standard terms and conditions. In addition, the lending institution was specifically added to the policy as an “Additional Named Insured.”
Nobody wants a claim to occur, but if a claim does arise, our experienced and talented group of environmental claims professionals are here to help you and your clients by delivering the highest level of professional service. The entrepreneurial culture within Great American empowers our insurance professionals to move quickly and surely in the event of a crisis. We will work diligently to provide the proper resources and tools to mitigate any potential loss.
To help you address these as well as other environmental exposures with your clients, visit our new Claims Scenario Library. You can find more examples illustrating the various environmental exposures that could affect your customers!
The claims scenarios in this material are provided to illustrate possible exposures faced by your clients. The facts of any situation which may actually arise, and the terms, conditions, exclusions, and limitations in any policy in effect at that time, are unique. Thus, no representation is made that any specific insurance coverage applies to the above claims scenarios.
Greg Kelder, Divisional Senior Vice President and Manager, Director of Claims
Great American Environmental Division
Greg Kelder is a Divisional Senior Vice President with Great American Environmental and serves as Head of Claims. With more than 28 years of environmental claim experience, he has developed particular business acumen in matters related to emerging environmental risks, as well as broader challenges related to pollution, regulation, water policy and sustainability. After earning his law degree, he obtained his Master’s in Environmental Science and Policy. Greg brings specialized environmental claim support and training to our division and is based out of the Exton, Pennsylvania office.