A Los Angeles Superior Court jury has awarded more than $15 million in compensatory damages to a teenager who suffered permanent brain injuries after his mother's car was struck by a Southern California Gas Co. truck in 2005.

The minor victim, now 17, was a passenger in the family's Chrysler sedan when it was hit by a gas company-owned pickup truck. The truck driver admitted runing a red light and striking the passenger side of the victim's sedan.

At the time of the accident, the minor was 14 and he struck in the head by a door frame and was pushed against a console. Almost half of his body was compressed.

After the accident, the minor was comatose for 24 hours and spent nine days in the hospital. He was diagnosed with a permanent frontal-lobe brain injury, which left him cognitively disabled with impaired judgement and an inability to regulate his moods. He also retained a drooping left eye, partial face paralysis and a six-inch scar on his head.

The minor was an active teenager before the accident, earning As and Bs in school and enjoying dirt biking, skateboarding and repairing bicycles. He testified at trial that his personality "completely changed" after the accident. He said he suffers from depression, lacks ambition and can no longer engage in many physical activities. He also reportedly suffers from fatigue, anxiety and speech difficulties.

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