Va jury awards $5M to family of slain worker

ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — A jury in Roanoke County is awarding more than $5 million in damages to the family a construction worker killed in a chain-reaction crash.

The jury on Monday said that the two drivers convicted in the death of Richard Slone must pay $2 million in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages. The defendants also must pay $10,000 in funeral expenses.

The Roanoke Times reports (http://bit.ly/XDU9jR ) that Jeffrey Dupree and Tracie Nininger were found guilty in 2008 of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and driving under the influence in Slone's death. Soon after, Slone's estate filed a wrongful death suit against the pair, seeking $8 million in compensatory damages and $2 million in punitive damages.

___

Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com