It’s every parent’s nightmare. One minute your teenager has his whole life ahead of him, and the next minute his life has been irreparably changed forever. All because of the recklessness of a complete stranger.

That’s what the family of a 15-year old boy is facing today after an auto-pedestrian crash over the weekend in the western part of the valley. Around 5am Sunday morning, a 26-year old woman was driving a 2005 Acura TSX westbound on Spring Mountain Road and had just passed El Camino Road. For some reason, the woman lost control of her car and drove off of the right side of the roadway. Her vehicle slammed into a bus shelter and also struck a teenager who was waiting for a bus nearby.

When police arrived, they reportedly found two containers of vodka in the woman’s car which were open and partially empty. Witnesses told authorities that the Acura had previously been driving at a high rate of speed and had also run a red light. After the woman apparently failed a field sobriety test, she was arrested and charged with DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and several other offenses. The teen was rushed to University Medical Center, where police say that at least one of his legs had to be amputated.

The victim faces a long road to recovery from his injuries, which will mean that his family will likely incur hefty medical bills in the near future. If they wish, the parents of the teenager can file a personal injury lawsuit against the 26-year old woman in order to recoup those expenses and receive other damages related to the crash.