A high school chemistry experiment that went horribly wrong left a boy permanently disfigured, and a jury just awarded him $60 million

• A New York City jury awarded 21-year-old Alonzo Yanes nearly $60 million on Monday after he was left permanently disfigured by a botched high school chemistry experiment.
• Yanes was 16 years old in January 2014 when his teacher, Anna Poole, conducted an experiment that went horribly wrong, causing a fireball to rip through their classroom.
• He was engulfed in flames that left him with serious burns on his face and upper body.
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A young man who was left permanently disfigured after a botched high school chemistry experiment was awarded nearly $60 million in damages by a New York City jury on Monday.

The jury awarded Alonzo Yanes, who is now 21, $29.6 million for past pain and suffering and the same amount for future pain and suffering, according to the New York Post.

Yanes was a 16-year-old sophomore at the competitive Beacon High School in January 2014, when his teacher, Anna Poole, messed up an experiment, causing a fireball to rip through the classroom. The jury held Poole and the city's education department liable for the incident, The New York Times reported.

Yanes spent five months in the hospital recovering from third-degree burns that covered his face, neck, arms, and hands, and undergoing multiple skin graft surgeries.

During the three-week trial, Yanes testified about how his injuries have left him with deep-seeded insecurities, which he blames for the fact that he's still a virgin.

One of the jurors, 65-year-old Jo Ann Jacobsen, told the Post that she wanted to award Yanes more money, but compromised with the other jurors on a lower amount.

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"(Yanes') testimony was sad because he was trying to be strong. He was 16! He may never have a girlfriend. He may never have a family. I just feel really bad for him," Jacobsen told the New York Daily News.

Yanes' attorney had argued for an award of $70 million during the trial, while lawyers representing the city said he deserved just $5 million.

In a prepared statement, the city's Law Department said: "The well-being of students is the top priority of the Department of Education and this chemistry experiment is no longer used in any classroom as a result of this tragic accident. While we respect the jury's verdict, we are exploring our legal options to reduce the award to an amount that is consistent with awards that have been upheld by the courts in similar cases."

The teacher who caused the accident has been taken out of the classroom and now works at the Department of Education's Central Office, where she teaches other teachers on classroom best practices, according to the Daily News.

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