original story by Don Richardson of The Telfair Enterprise
Former Telfair County coroner Raford Horton last week received a favorable verdict in a lawsuit related to his 2008 two-vehicle accident on Ga. Highway 31 (441) in front of his wrecker business.
A Telfair County jury award Horton a total of $2,546,804:
- $1,253,804 for medical bills;
- $184,000 for past and future lost income;
- $1,150,000 for past and future physical and mental pain and suffering.
In addition, his wife Virginia was awarded $250,000 for loss of consortium, a legal term defined as “companionship, love and affection and intimacy between husband and wife inside a marriage.”
According to the GSP report filed at the time of the accident, Horton was driving his Ford F-650 rollback South when he stopped to turn left into Horton’s Wrecker Service. Joseph Lee Dennis, headed North in a tractor-trailer belonging to Horton Homes, said a vehicle stopped suddenly in front of him and as he tried to avoid a collision, his truck jackknifed head-on into Horton’s vehicle.
Horton was transported from the scene to Dodge County Hospital before being moved to the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon for what were referred to in the report as serious injuries. In addition to Dennis, the other defendants in the lawsuit Horton Iron Works, LLC, The Putnam Group, LLC and Employees Mutual Casualty Company were ordered to pay the full amount of the settlement to Raford and Virginia Horton, along with 6.25 percent interest.
