Local family wins lawsuit

A Newport Beach family has won a $23.5-million verdict in a lawsuit stemming from a car crash that left a 14-year-old boy with serious disabilities.

Cade Feitler, 14, suffered a severe brain injury when he was in a car that was struck by a sport-utility vehicle Feb. 7, 2005.

A Santa Ana jury ruled Tuesday, by a 9-3 vote, that the E.A. Pedersen Company, an electrical contractor company, was liable because sales manager Peter Infranca was working when he ran a red light and his SUV crashed into the car, the family’s attorney Wylie Aitken said.

The boy needs around-the-clock care and has trouble speaking and walking. The family has racked up $4.89 million in medical bills.