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Jurors award $2M in boy's lawnmower death THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ROANOKE, Va. -- A jury has awarded $2 million to a couple whose 4-year-old son died after being run over by a riding lawn mower at his day care center. The Roanoke Circuit Court jury on Wednesday found the mower's manufacturer liable for the April 2004 death of Justin Simmons. Cleveland-based MTD Products Corp. said it would appeal. "I find it incredulous that a jury no longer cares about common sense and personal responsibility," company attorney John Fitzpatrick said. The jury held MTD responsible for not designing a mower that automatically stops its blades whenever it rolls backward. No such mower exists or has ever been tested, Fitzpatrick said. Jurors awarded $500,000 each to Ron and Kristie Simmons, Justin's parents, and $1 million to his 3-year-old brother, Josh. Day care provider Roberta Reedy, who had been watching Justin, his brother and two other children, was inside changing a diaper when the accident happened, authorities said. The company argued that her husband, Orvil, had ignored safety warnings. Justin's family is seeking an out-of-court settlement with the Reedys.
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