The parents of a Ventura teenager who was killed by a distracted driver have been awarded $9 million by a jury.
The case involves Jon and Michele Gambill, whose 16-year-old son, Austin Gambill, died on Mar. 13, 2020, two days after he was struck by a distracted driver while he was running for athletics practice.
Killed Teen's Parents Awarded $9 Million
The teenager was said to have dreamed of following in his grandfather's footsteps by becoming a police officer. He was also a member of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office Explorer Program and Ventura's Boy Scout Troop 179.
Following a six-day civil trial, on Aug. 14, a jury ruled in favor of the late teen's parents, demanding that the man who caused the 16-year-old's death and his employer help pay the couple a total of $9 million.
The attorney representing Jon, Trevor Quirk, said that he could only imagine, as a parent, that hopefully the ruling presents the Gambills an opportunity to heal. The crash that killed Austin occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Mar. 11, 2020, according to the VC Star.
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The day of the accident was also the teenager's first day back to track practice after sustaining an injury. Shortly before the tragedy, Austin was running with his teammates, but he was held back because of his injury and ended up running by himself, north along the sidewalk of Seaward Avenue.
The family's attorney then alleged that the distracted driver, Rene Jimenez, who was traveling south on Seaward Avenue, lost control of his 2011 Chevrolet Silverado work truck. The driver drove onto the sidewalk and struck the teenager, sending him flying nearly 40 feet into the air, before landing and being run over by the vehicle.
A Tragic Accident
Following the incident, Jimenez stayed at the scene and cooperated with law enforcement, who responded to the area. Authorities determined that alcohol and drugs were not factors in the crash involving the teenager, Yahoo News reported.
The attorneys for the family claimed that the driver was looking at his phone when he lost control of his truck and was driving at least 10 mph faster than the area's 30 mph speed limit. After being struck, Austin was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead two days later.
The development follows a similar case where the family of a Missouri teenager who fell to his death from the 430-foot-tall Orlando FreeFall ride in March 2022 was awarded $310 million, as per CBS News.
