Courts

MMA fighter withdraws damages claim against former employer over bang on head

Judge watched video of a mixed martial arts fight in which the head of the fighter taking the case was repeatedly pummeled on the canvas by his opponent

Following a break Judge O’Connor was told there had been talks between the parties and Dean Bride was withdrawing his claim which could be struck out with no order for costs. Photograph: Alan Betson

Ray Managh
Mon Jun 19 2023 - 16:41

An MMA fighter, who claimed he suffered concussion, memory loss and headaches from a bang on the head when the boot lid of a VW Golf collapsed on him at work, has withdrawn a €60,000 damages claim against a former employer.

Dean Bride pulled his case in the Circuit Civil Court on Monday after Judge John O’Connor had watched a video of a mixed martial arts fight in which his head had been repeatedly pummeled on the canvas by his opponent before the referee stepped in and stopped the contest.

Defence barrister Sheila Reidy told the court that the only doctor who had seen the video, consultant Robert McQuillan, had stated in a medical report that Bride had many opportunities of suffering multiple concussions in his sport.

Ms Reidy, who appeared with Stephen Mackenzie Solicitors and Roz Bolger of Aviva, said Bride on December 20th, 2016, had told his employer, Ace Autobody, of Robinhood Industrial Estate, Dublin, that he was sick when instead he had gone to fight in Belfast. “That was only a month before this accident you complain of and we can see in the video that you are punched in the head repeatedly,” Ms Reidy said.

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As Judge O’Connor and the courtroom watched Bride being floored and then punched in the head up to 40 times, Ms Reidy added: “You are being punched repeatedly by a young strong opponent. Are you still saying your injuries have exclusively been caused by the dropping of a boot lid on your head at work on January 12th, 2017?”

Mr Bride (31), of Devenish Road, Kimmage, Dublin 12, told the court he had been employed for six months as a paint prepper for Ace Autobody and on the day of his accident the boot lid of the VW Golf had been propped up by a broom shaft. He had accidentally struck the shaft with his elbow and the boot lid had fallen on him.

He told Judge O’Connor everyone had started laughing at him and he had gone to the toilet and had got sick. Later he had gone to St James’s Hospital where he had been detained overnight and then released into the care of his GP>

Mr Bride said he suffered from intermittent headaches and sleeplessness. While he had returned to MMA he was now only doing sparring, where his opponents were not allowed to strike above shoulder height. He was unable to return to full MMA activities.

Following a break for lunch Judge O’Connor was told there had been talks between the parties and Mr Bride was withdrawing his claim which could be struck out with no order for costs.

Ace Autobody Limited, which did not have to go into evidence, had claimed in a full defence that it was not in any way negligent.

Judge O’Connor struck out the case as well as any cost orders that may have been made previously in the proceedings.

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