Hallmark Specialty Insurance Ordered to Pay Over Penn. Turnpike Spill

A federal judge says a trucking company’s insurer must cover some of the claims associated with the spill of a sticky goo over a 40-mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike last year.

U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti said last Friday Hallmark Specialty Insurance Company must pay for all non-pollution related claims against MTS Transport over the Nov. 22 spill that hampered Thanksgiving travel plans for many motorists.

A tanker hauling asphalt flux spilled the substance over a long stretch of the turnpike in western Pennsylvania, from New Castle to Oakmont. An estimated 1,000 vehicles were damaged by the tar-like goo.

Stevensville, Md.-based MTS said a $1 million insurance plan wasn’t enough to cover all the claims and Hallmark had refused to pay out on a $4 million excess liability policy.