A jury returned a $122 million verdict against General Motors Corp. over a car wreck that left a child with sever brain injuries.

An Alabama law limiting punitive damages automatically cuts the award to $82 million, said GM spokesman Jay Cooney. He said the company will appeal.

Thursday’s verdict stemmed from a two-vehicle collision on Dec. 10, 1999. Jeffrey Jernigan, then 12, was in the front seat of a 1993 Oldsmobile Delta 88 with his seat belt on when the passenger compartment of the car collapsed on him, leaving him with sever brain injuries, said plaintiff’s lawyer Jere Beasley.

The boy’s father, Wilbert Jernigan, sued GM, contending the car was defective and dangerous.

“GM put a cost-reduction program into effect prior to the manufacture and sale of the Oldsmobile, which resulted in significant safety problems,” Beasley said.

TThe jury's award included $22 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages. Beasley said the money will help the family care for the boy for the rest of his life.