The term “nuclear” joined the lexicon of the transportation industry in the last decade as insurance costs have been rising from runaway jury verdicts.
In a June 2020 report, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) counted a 967% increase in the average size of verdicts, from $2,305,736 in 2010 to $22,288,000 in 2018.
The Reptile Theory approach is often used by the plaintiff’s bar. When deposing the truck driver involved in the accident, the line of questions from the attorney is aimed at getting the driver to claim ignorance of certain regulations or training they have received by their carriers.
