Provider for Professional and Liability Insurance

[Anne Marie Harrington]

Hi Everyone ~ Which carrier do you use for your professional insurance? I’m only aware of Intermarket Insurance Agency because that is the company that ASLA recommends.

[J. Robert (Bob) Wainner]

I have read that “Liability Insurance” for Landscape Architects runs around $50.00 per month, but, not sure what all that covers. Need to look at the “details” of a policy…be sure you cover ALL the bases.

I am very close to Retirement, but, since being on my own (Feb. 1991), I never carried any Liability Insurance…..maybe I was just “lucky”. But, I always made sure my plans were very detailed and complete…that I always designed with “safety & liability” in mind.

I can remember one situation about 20 yrs. ago, where it was GOOD that I did NOT have any “Liability Insurance”. I designed a Multi-Family Community in Texas…on one side of the property, up against a parking lot, I designed an 8 Ft. high Retaining Wall. I designed it RIGHT too. On top of that wall, but, set back about 4 Ft. was a 6 ft. high brick screen wall. One day, the RAINS came…big time. Water from an adjacent shopping center flowed down hill straight towards the apartment community (wall) that I designed. Well, the Developer’s “Wall Contractor” did NOT follow my Wall Construction Details…no weep holes!!! So, water built up behind that 8 Ft. high stone retaining wall…and the pressure from the water pushed that stone wall over onto the FRONT HALF of about 12 Cars & Trucks (totaled all 12 vehicles).

Continuing…..A Structural Engineer who lived @ the Apartment Community met with me and reviewed my Wall Construction Details and told me that my Drawings were exactly correct….but, he agreed, the Wall Contractor did NOT follow my Drawings when they build that stone retaining Wall.

I called my Attorney for his advise…because, I was receiving INVOICES from several auto insurance companies for large amounts of money for those totaled vehicles. My Attorney advised me to NOT bad mouth the Developer…just explain to every auto insurance Co., that the Contractor did not follow my Plans, that I was a (1) person LA Firm and that I had ZERO “Liability Insurance”, that the cars were damaged at no fault of my own.

Well, the Developer, Project CE, Wall Contractor and a few others were sued by the auto insurance companies….but NOT ME. They all had “Liability Insurance”, I did not. That Structural Engineer I met told me that I probably did NOT get sued, mostly because, I didn’t have “Liability Insurance”. STILL, there was no fault on my part too.

HOWEVER…I DO think it’s BEST for every Landscape Architect (whether you work on your own OR whether you are a Landscape Architecture Firm)…because, even when it’s NOT necessarily your FAULT, many people who sue…say if they were injured seriously in a Swimming Pool you designed…..many times, the victims will WIN their law suits against you or your LA firm. Yeah, GOOD to PROTECT YOURSELF with “Liability Insurance”.

Good Luck! I’m sure there are MANY Insurance Companies who will sell you a good policy.
Bob

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