$6 Million Verdict in Adair County

From the Courier-Journal Regional Briefs, dated 7/19/2005 (Section B)

Man injured by mower is awarded $6 million

An Adair County jury has awarded more than $6 million to a Columbia man whose left leg was nearly cut off in a riding mower accident.

The jury awarded Christopher Cowan about $2.2 million in compensatory damages and $4 million in punitive damages shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday.

"It was very fair, and it was equitable," said Cowan's lawyer, David Son of Louisville.

Cowan, 30, was injured in July 2002, after the blade snapped and struck him below his left knee cap as he stepped off the mower.

The defendants are the Alamo Group, its subsidiary M&W Gear Co., and Haven Steel Products.

George Vernon, who represented Alamo and M&W, said he was "puzzled" by the jury's decision to award punitive damages.

This posting has been updated with more details about the trial, eg., damage award, experts, etc.  Click here