Mother sues Kansas City lawn equipment operator accused of running over her son
An Olathe woman is suing a Kansas City railroad contractor after an employee driving a piece of lawn care equipment allegedly ran over her son last year, killing him.
Linda Bowers, 76, filed the lawsuit in Jackson County court on Sept. 19, according to court records. The suit states that a person affiliated with SPD Transfer Services was negligently operating commercial lawn equipment when they fatally collided with Bowers’ son Steven Bolesta, 49.
SPD Transfer Services is a Kansas City, Kansas-based company devoted mainly to loading and unloading railroad cars and other forms of large-scale transportation.
Representatives for Bowers and SPD were not immediately available for comment Monday.
According to the lawsuit, Bolesta was near East 2nd Street and North Lydia Avenue in Kansas City on July 19, 2023 when a person affiliated with SPD hit him while driving a “Road Hog” or similar piece of lawn care equipment.
The lawsuit alleges that the SPD affiliate ran over Bolesta with the lawn equipment. Bolesta sustained multiple blunt and sharp-force injuries and died shortly after the incident, according to court documents.
A Road Hog is a rotary cutter used for landscaping. The machine may also have been a brush cutter or another form of commercial lawn mower, according to the lawsuit.
Bowers and her attorneys have filed for a jury trial and will seek an award in excess of $25,000, according to the lawsuit.
