$3.4 Million Dollar Settlement in Wrongful Death Case—
Largest Reported in Gordon County, Georgia

April 8, 2005, Atlanta, Georgia – A double fatality wrongful death case settled for the sum of $3,400,000, the largest reported wrongful death settlement in the history of Gordon County, according to trial lawyer Linley Jones.

The case arose from a collision that occurred on the afternoon of January 24, 2005, when the plaintiff, 25-year-old Allison Taylor*, her husband John and their two small children, Hannah and Jacob, were driving north on Highway 515 after shopping at the Ellijay Wal-Mart. They were driving north towards their home in Blue Ridge when they experienced mechanical problems with their 1990 Ford Escort. Allison slowed the car to 25 mph and turned on the hazard lights.

While Allison and her family made their way home, the defendant, Walter “Butch” Layson was driving north on Hwy. 515 in a 2004 Ford Expedition. He came upon the Taylor vehicle and struck the back of their car with such force that an eyewitness described the impact as an “explosion,” sending debris in all directions. The SUV forced the Ford Escort off the road causing it to roll several times before coming to a rest upside down. Four-year-old Hannah was ejected from the car, still attached to her car seat, and landed in the road. She suffered a massive brain injury and was pronounced dead two hours later.

John Taylor also suffered fatal injuries and survived approximately 45 minutes. Allison and three-year-old Jacob suffered only minor physical injuries.

The defendant, a resident of Gordon County, owns a general contracting business located in Calhoun, and was driving to a construction project in Blue Ridge when the incident occurred.