SAN DIEGO (Legal Newsline) - A U.S. Navy veteran was awarded more than $7.5 million after a motorcycle collision resulted in injuries to his groin and reconstructive surgery that permanently altered the length of his penis.

The plaintiff, Matthew Wall, was an active duty Navy non-commissioned officer when his Harley-Davidson motorcycle collided with a shuttle van from a San Diego-based auto dealership on Aug. 30, 2007.

Wall, 27, was on his way to work at the submarine base in San Diego when the accident happened.

The driver of the van, defendant Pedro Flores Miramontes, made a left-hand turn directly into Wall's lane of travel.

Wall's motorcycle struck the side of the van and he was thrown forward onto its handlebars.

As a result, he suffered a fracture of his pubic ramus bone. It took nearly three months to heal.

He also suffered damage to the nerve and arteries of his penis.

Though the repair surgery was considered successful, Wall sustained "residual damages," including a loss of 1 inch in penis length.

The defendants, including Miramontes, Rancho Auto Group and Group 1 Automotive Inc., denied liability and refused to settle the case.

Following a two-week trial, a San Diego County Superior Court jury last month found the driver 100 percent at fault and awarded $7,553,000 to Wall for his pain, suffering, medical bills and loss of income.

Of the award, $7.5 million were non-economic damages and $53,000 were past economic damages and lost wages.

With pre-judgment interest, the award will exceed about $8,303,000, Wall's lawyers said.

Representing Wall were Nicholas C. Rowley of Carpenter, Zuckerman and Rowley LLP and attorneys Courtney Yoder, Howard Kitay and Kimberly Barrows.

In a news release Friday, they called the award "a record" non-economic damages verdict for a personal injury plaintiff in El Cajon.

From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.