2 Children Hurt in Parking-Lot Accident Awarded $1.7 Million : Courts: The boy and girl, then 9 and 11, were seriously injured in 1986 at a Thousand Oaks school. A car jumped the curb, striking seven youngsters.

Two children who were seriously injured in a 1986 school parking-lot accident were awarded more than $1.7 million Thursday by a Ventura County Superior Court jury.

The Conejo Valley Unified School District will be liable for about $1 million of the amount, attorneys said. The rest already has been paid in settlements by others involved in the accident.

School Supt. William R. Seaver said he believes that the district’s insurance will cover most of the award.

The case stemmed from an accident on the afternoon of March 6, 1986, as several students waited to be picked up at Ladera School in Thousand Oaks. As they stood on a sidewalk next to the school parking lot, a mother lost control of her car. It lurched forward, jumped the curb and struck seven children.

Heather Altreche, then 9, suffered serious leg and pelvis injuries. Alexander Constantinescu, who was 11, had major burns. Five other children suffered lesser injuries.

The parents of Heather and Alexander sued the school district, contending that it had ignored repeated warnings from parents and school officials that the parking lot was dangerously congested.

The attorney for the district, Korman Dorsey Ellis, argued that the warnings were irrelevant because there was no evidence that congestion caused the accident.

In a partial verdict announced in June, the jury held that the district was liable. This week, after deliberating for about five hours over two days, the panel decided the damage awards.

The panel awarded $700,000 to each of the children for their pain and suffering. In addition, Heather’s parents were awarded $186,600 for her medical bills, and Alexander’s parents were granted $134,000 for medical expenses.

As they filed out of the courtroom, several of the jurors shook hands with Heather’s father, Lewis Altreche, and Alexander’s mother, Jenny Constantinescu. Neither of the children was present.

Several jurors said they were swayed by the fact that the district ignored several letters from a succession of Ladera principals complaining that the parking lot was dangerously crowded. The jurors also rejected Ellis’ assertion that the verdict would open the door to suits against businesses whose parking lots sometimes become congested.

“A school district is different,” one juror said, as others nodded in agreement. “The school district is responsible for the children’s safety all day long. In our opinion, they were blatantly irresponsible.”

The juror, who asked not to be identified, added that “if they had done anything at all” in response to the warnings, the outcome of the case might have been different. Shortly after the accident, the district rebuilt the lot to make it safer.

Raymond P. Johnson and Lawrence W. Tait, attorneys for the plaintiffs, had asked for about $3 million in damages. But Jenny Constantinescu said she was satisfied with the jury’s award. She insisted that money was not the main issue.

“We wanted the dangerous condition to be recognized,” she said.