The payout is no longer an AWARD but rather a REWARD.
I never really understood the system where a jury of 12 peers, likely never drove a truck, maybe not even licensed for a car, who can be broke, owe tons of money to everyone, can decide how to compensate for the death of an individual. There is no justification to the number, just what 12 people can agree on. I guess more is better???
Why was the state not sued for not maintaining the road? Or closing the highway because it is not safe? There has to be much bigger insurance companies at the state level with much higher liability limits and getting a piece of that would be a reward in itself.
That is not even mentioning that if the roads were ok enough for the plaintiff to decide to take the risk, knowing just as much as the PRIME driver about the roads. The reward should consider that as well.
Prime's insurance will pay out the policy limits. Prime will appeal, it will take 10 years and they'll settle for much, much less because to get an additional 1 million is a million more times than they thought they'd get. The estate would rather have one million now than a potential 44 million that never gets paid.
