Engineering Firm’s Cracks Lead to Liability Hot Water

All your knowledge, experience, and effort go into every engineering project you develop. But sometimes, even under the best of circumstances, design flaws can hide until your project is complete.

Not long ago, a several billion-gallon reservoir was the crowing achievement of a municipal water utility and an engineering firm.

The project was completed but only a year later, cracks in the reservoir embankment appeared. Although the cracks weren’t deemed a safety hazard, the finger pointing began.

The engineering firm offered a maintenance program for a minimal cost. But the municipality sued the firm as well as two other engineering firms for the full cost of repairs, over $100 million dollars. And in the state where the suit has been leveled, there is no cap on a designer’s liability.

The water board rejected a multi-million dollar settlement and now the case will be decided in Federal Court later this year.

Small cracks can lead to big problems. We all know that a tiny crack in your windshield rarely stays just that…a tiny crack. Eventually, it can spread until the entire windshield needs to be replaced. But with the right preparation, your car insurance can cover the cost of repairs.

And when you experience a crack or flaw in your engineering design, RISKPRO is the professional engineering insurance expert that will be there for you. All it takes is the right preparation now with our professional engineer liability insurance.

Contact us today and let us help protect you and your firm.