A homeowner purchased a riding lawn mower from a lawn mower dealer. During his first use of the mower, the homeowner noticed that the mower was vibrating when he turned, but he was able to finish mowing. A few days later, the homeowner lent the mower to his neighbor. The neighbor was driving the mower back to his yard when he made a turn and a wheel broke off, causing the neighbor to be thrown off the lawn mower and onto the sidewalk. The neighbor was injured. The neighbor brought a negligence action against the dealer for his injuries. At trial, the neighbor presented evidence that the wheel broke because of a manufacturing defect. The dealer presented evidence that the homeowner could have discovered the defect after the mower began vibrating when he used it for the first time. In this action, who is likely to prevail? A. The neighbor, because the lawn mower was sold by the dealer with an unreasonably dangerous defect.
B. The neighbor, because the defect in the wheel would not likely have occurred in the absence of negligence.
C. The dealer, because the homeowner should have discovered the defect when the mower first started vibrating.
D. The dealer, because there is no evidence that the dealer had reason to know that the lawn mower was defective.