CATASTROPHIC EVENTS LEADING TO DE FACTO LIMITS ON LIABILITY

This study conducts an overview of large technological systems in society to ascertain prevalence, if any, of situations that can lead to catastrophic effects where the resultant liabilities far exceed the insurances or assets subject to suit in court, thereby imposing de facto limits on liability. Several potential situations are examined: dam rupture, aircraft crash into a sports stadium, chemical plant accident, shipping disaster, and a toxic drug disaster. All of these events are estimated to have probabilities per year similar to or larger than a major nuclear accident and they are found to involve potential liability far exceeding the available resources, such as insurance, corporation assets, or government revenues.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • See also PB-261 842.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of California, Los Angeles

  Chemical, Nuclear and Thermal Engineering Department
  Los Angeles, CA  United States  90024

  National Science Foundation

  Research Applied to National Needs
  Washington, DC  United States  20550
• Authors:
  • Solomon, K A
  • Okrent, D
• Publication Date: 1977-5

Media Info

• Pagination: 37 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation crashes; Chemical industry; Crashes; Dams; Disasters; Drugs; Failure; Freight transportation; Hazards; Insurance; Liabilities; Nuclear reactors; Poisons; Risk assessment; Tearing; Toxicity; Water transportation crashes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Chemical plants
• Old TRIS Terms: Cargo transportation; Dam failures; Nuclear reactor accidents; Ship accidents
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Finance; Freight Transportation; Marine Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00168776
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: UCLA-ENG-7732, NSF/RA-770131
• Contract Numbers: NSF-OEP75-20318
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 27 1978 12:00AM