According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, On April 15, 2013, at 2:50 PM, two bomb blasts occurred near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The blasts occurred within 13 seconds of one another, near the race finish line, which is in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. The first blast occurred a few hundred feet short of the finish line while the second was 550 feet farther back along the course. Under most terrorism insurance policies, business interruption losses arising from restricted access or closure by civil authority is triggered only when there is physical damage arising from a covered peril (e.g., explosion, fire, smoke, etc.) within the designated area. However, the damage need not occur to the insured premises specifically.
According to AIR, terrorists often seek targets that achieve the greatest impact, and not only in terms of harm and destruction. They may seek out symbolic sites or activities that represent an aspect of culture that they wish to disrupt or destroy. The Boston Marathon is an iconic event as well as a popular one. It takes place on Patriots’ Day, a Massachusetts holiday that commemorates the first battles of the Revolutionary War, which took place in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The holiday is also known as Marathon Monday since the Boston Marathon takes place on that day.
This year, it also coincided with “tax day,” the day on which federal tax returns are due for the majority of Americans; it is a day that also inspires rage among anti-government extremists. However, officials say it is too early to determine whether the attack was the work of foreign or domestic groups, or of a “lone wolf,” as in the case of a similar attack at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. The Pakistani Taliban has denied any involvement.
Because Patriots’ Day is a holiday in Massachusetts, the race draws large numbers of people along the 26.2 mile course, and crowds gather at the finish line. The event is also widely televised, providing a guaranteed audience for the attacker(s).
According to AIR, the finish line of the Boston Marathon is located in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. While Copley Square is an open space and some of the buildings are midrise, there are several high-rises in the area. If the bombs had been larger, and had been used in a more densely-built area, their impact could have been amplified by the built environment as the buildings will reflect shock waves.
The bombs used in this case were likely small, portable devices that were by all accounts crudely constructed. Early reports of the devices being packed with ball bearings (BBs) has been discounted by federal law enforcement officials. They now believe the bombs were placed near or in metal garbage bins and the blast created small metal fragments which acted as shrapnel.
While the bombs were not as powerful as more sophisticated devices, they seem to have been designed to inflict harm to people rather than buildings. According to AIR, plate glass windows at nearby businesses were shattered and thereby posed additional risk to people, but no structural damage has been reported. The injuries, however, have been severe. Although the winners had been crowned almost three hours earlier, there were still large numbers of runners approaching the finish line when the blasts occurred. Family members and well-wishers were still gathered as the largest packs of runners approached the finish line. The blasts have left three people dead (a number that could still rise) and have injured well over a hundred, with over 50 people in serious or critical condition. Most of the injuries were to lower limbs, indicating that the devices were on or near the ground.
A large section of Boston’s Back Bay area remains off-limits to all but law enforcement officials and the FBI, which has taken over the investigation. Businesses and hotels that are located within this section remain closed. Other nearby businesses are open, but security is high and access is hampered by inaccessible streets. This is expected to clear within a few days as the investigations continue.
It is still in the early aftermath of this event and officials remain cautious with respect to the information they share with the media. Initial reports indicated that two other bombs had been found, which had failed to detonate; however, this is yet to be confirmed by officials.
