A veteran of the Iraq war was awarded a $26 million verdict this week after suffering permanent brain damage in a 2008 auto accident in Florida.

The suit was filed on behalf of 31-year-old Dustin Brink, who sustained injuries to his frontal and temporal lobes when his head hit the asphalt in Kissimmee, Florida, after a car struck his motorcycle.

The lawsuit, which was filed in 2010, claims that Brink lost all ability to perform many brain functions necessary for the routine activities of daily living.

The jury found Brink, who was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, to be 50 percent responsible for the injuries he suffered.