Dear Valued Customers,
We’ve written before about the importance of claims prevention at your service stations, cleaning up spills, fixing potholes, and keeping premises well maintained. Today we want to talk about what happens when prevention isn’t enough, and a serious slip-and-fall claim moves forward anyway.
Why Slip-and-Fall Claims Can Escalate Quickly
Most slip-and-fall settlements in California involve moderate injuries and settle for tens of thousands of dollars. But when injuries are severe, spinal damage, traumatic brain injury, or long-term disability, verdicts can climb into the hundreds of thousands or even millions. Recent California premises liability verdicts have exceeded four million dollars in cases involving serious injuries at commercial properties.
Your General Liability Limit Might Not Be Enough
Many of our service station clients carry $1,000,000 in general liability coverage, which handles the vast majority of claims without issue. The problem arises when a single severe injury claim exceeds that limit entirely. At that point, the difference between the verdict and your policy limit becomes the business’s direct financial responsibility.
How Commercial Umbrella Insurance Fits In
A commercial umbrella policy sits above your general liability and commercial auto coverage, extending protection once those underlying limits are exhausted. For a gas station or convenience store with steady foot traffic, extending coverage to $2,000,000, $5,000,000, or more can be the difference between a manageable claim and a business-threatening one.
What This Looks Like in Practice
- A customer suffers a serious injury from a fall near a fuel pump or in the mini-mart
- The claim is evaluated at an amount exceeding your general liability limit
- Without umbrella coverage, your business is responsible for the difference
- With umbrella coverage in place, the additional layer responds to close that gap
A Modest Cost for Meaningful Protection
Commercial umbrella coverage is often available at a relatively modest cost given how much additional protection it provides. For businesses with significant foot traffic and higher exposure, like fuel and convenience retail locations, this coverage deserves a serious look, not as a luxury, but as a practical safeguard against the kind of claim that could otherwise put everything at risk.
If you’d like to review your current liability limits and discuss whether a commercial umbrella policy makes sense for your operation, please reach out. We’re happy to walk through the numbers with you.
Sincerely,
The RKM Team
RKM Insurance Agency serves gas station and service station owners throughout California. To learn more, visit RKM Insurance Agency today.
