Opinion ID: 2972622
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Initial Position of Mohney’s Head

Text: Plaintiffs argue that the district court erred in granting summary judgment because there is a disputed issue of whether the initial impact of Mohney’s head into the boards was face first or crown first. Plaintiffs do not cite the page upon which the district court reached this conclusion. Our review of the district court’s opinion and the record reveals that there is clearly a dispute regarding the issue of whether Mohney’s initial impact with the boards was face first or crown first, and the district court, at least implicitly, recognized as much. See J.A. 48 (“[T]he relevant inquiry is not whether Jamey and Terry Cearley were able to see the torque of Levi’s head, but rather whether they observed a face first impact. No valid argument has been proferred that either was unable to see the initial point of impact. . . . Thus, Jamey and Terry Cearley’s affidavits [indicating 16 that Mohney struck the boards face first] are admissible”). More significant to this appeal, however, is whether this disputed issue of fact is material. As addressed above, the district court appropriately excluded all testimony which could support the theory that Mohney’s injury was caused by the rotation of Mohney’s head from a face first presentation to a crown presentation. Moreover, there is no testimony that the helmet itself caused the injury. Accordingly, even if Mohney went into the boards face first, there is no basis upon which Plaintiffs can demonstrate that Bauer was at fault for, or is a proximate cause of, the resulting injury.