Opinion ID: 2469559
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: disputed fact questions

Text: Appellant raises only one point of appeal in his brief, that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment because there existed genuine issues of material fact relating to negligence and proximate causation. Specifically, appellant contends there were disputed facts relating to appellee's failure to provide safe equipment as required by OSHA regulations, 29 C.F.R. § 1928.57, appellee's failure to instruct on the proper procedures for cleaning and maintaining the spreader, appellee's failure to warn of the dangers of the spreader, and whether appellant's injuries were proximately caused by appellee's alleged negligence. In Cash v. Lim, 322 Ark. 359, 908 S.W.2d 655 (1995), this court summarized its standards for summary-judgment review: In these cases, we need only decide if the granting of summary judgment was appropriate based on whether the evidentiary items presented by the moving party in support of the motion left a material question of fact unanswered. The burden of sustaining a motion for summary judgment is always the responsibility of the moving party. All proof submitted must be viewed in a light most favorable to the party resisting the motion, and any doubts and inferences must be resolved against the moving party. Our rule states, and we have acknowledged, that summary judgment is proper when a claiming party fails to show that there is a genuine issue as to a material fact and when the moving party is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law.... Accordingly, it is the moving party who has the burden of presenting evidence to sustain a summary judgment, and all proof submitted must be viewed in the light most favorable to the opposing party. It is further well-settled that once the moving party establishes a prima facie entitlement to summary judgment by affidavits or other supporting documents or depositions, the opposing party must meet proof with proof and demonstrate the existence of a material issue of fact. Id. at 362, 908 S.W.2d at 656-57 (citations omitted). Appellee moved for summary judgment without explanation, simply stating there were no disputed issues of fact and claiming entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. Attached to the motion was a portion of appellant's deposition, wherein appellant stated that while the truck that housed the spreader was running, he noticed some chicken litter in and around the sprockets, that he thought the litter needed to be cleaned out, and that he stuck his hand in the sprocket area and began cleaning it when one of the sprockets caught his glove resulting in the injury to his hand. Appellant also stated that, because it was a little bit safer, he usually turned the truck off before he cleaned the sprocket area so that the chain and sprocket would not be moving, but that he left the truck running that day because there was still litter running out of the back of the truck bed. Also attached to appellee's motion were his own affidavit and parts of his own deposition wherein he stated that while driving appellant to the hospital, appellant stated that he stuck his hand in the sprocket mechanism and that [i]t was dumb. Appellant's response to the motion included an affidavit from Dr. Albert L. Mink, an agricultural engineer from Arkansas State University. Dr. Mink averred that he was a certified OSHA instructor, that he had inspected the spreader that injured appellant, and that 29 C.F.R. § 1928.57 requires employers to protect employees from inadvertently coming in contact with hazards created by moving machinery parts on agricultural equipment, either by location or by installing and using a guard. Dr. Mink opined that appellee was in violation of 29 C.F.R. § 1928.57. Also attached to appellant's response was a portion of appellee's deposition wherein appellee stated that he did not remember instructing appellant on any cleaning procedures for the spreader except to [j]ust [k]eeping, you know, the catwalks clean is basically what I told him. Appellee stated that he did not give any instructions on general maintenance and service of the spreader. Appellee stated that he received an operations manual when he purchased the spreader but did not show it to his employees, nor did he ever show his employees any type of written instructions or warnings. Appellee stated there was no warning on the spreader about the danger of sticking a hand in the sprocket area. The trial court granted summary judgment without explanation. The order stated simply that there was not sufficient evidence for a trier of fact to find that appellee was negligent or that his actions proximately caused appellant's injury. Given the depositions attached to the motion and response, we find it is implicit in the trial court's order that its resolution of this case was based solely on contributory negligence or comparative fault. Under the comparative fault statute, there must be a determination of proximate cause before any fault can be assessed against a claiming party, and proximate cause is generally a question for the jury. Williams v. Mozark Fire Extinguisher Co., 318 Ark. 792, 888 S.W.2d 303 (1994). Proximate cause becomes a question of law only if reasonable minds could not differ. Id. Proximate cause is defined as that which in a natural and continuous sequence, unbroken by any efficient intervening cause, produces the injury, and without which the result would not have occurred. Id. at 796, 888 S.W.2d at 305. Appellant presented some evidence that appellee failed to instruct appellant on operating and cleaning procedures for the spreader and that appellee failed to take steps to protect appellant from inadvertent contact with the sprocket mechanism as required by 29 C.F.R. § 1928.57. Reasonable minds could therefore differ as to whether appellee's or appellant's actions were the proximate cause in this case. In addition, violation of a safety statute is evidence of negligence to be considered by a jury, provided the violation is the proximate cause of the injury. Thomson v. Littlefield, 319 Ark. 648, 893 S.W.2d 788 (1995). Consequently, we conclude the trial court invaded the province of the jury, at least by resolving the proximate cause issue, and thereby erred in granting judgment as a matter of law. We therefore reverse the order granting summary judgment and remand for a new trial. BROWN, J., dissents.