A former ISU student will be paid $117,500 from the City of Ames, Iowa State, USA Hockey, Inc. and a Western Michigan University hockey player after the student was hit in the mouth with a hockey puck at a Cyclone hockey game.

According to court documents, on Jan. 20, 2001, then-ISU student Daniel Blumhagen attended an ISU hockey game against Western Michigan University at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena, 1505 Gateway Hills Park Dr.

While Blumhagen was seated in the stands, a hockey puck hit by Western Michigan player Karl Merkle left the ice and struck Blumhagen in the face. Blumhagen sustained a broken jaw, facial injuries and several fractured teeth, which required five root canals.

The injury occurred at the old Ames/ISU ice arena.

Since the incident, a new ice arena has been constructed and opened in April of 2001, said Nancy Carroll, director of Ames Parks and Recreation.

“Mr. Blumhagen sued Iowa State and the state [of Iowa], because they owned the facility,” said William Wickett, the attorney representing the City of Ames. “He sued the City of Ames because the city had an agreement to manage the facility. He sued Karl Merkle because he was the player who hit the puck, and [he sued] USA Hockey, Inc., because they were the organization that sanctioned the hockey games and who shouldn’t have allowed the hockey game to take place in that rink.”

In the lawsuit filed in the Iowa District Court in Story County, Blumhagen said the City of Ames and Iowa State were at fault for: “Allowing conditions to remain at the arena that involved an unreasonable risk of injury to spectators; failing to adequately maintain the ice arena, including allowing a crown to develop in the ice and flooding the perimeter of the rink, which decreased the effective height of the protective dasher board system; failing to adequately design, construct and modify the ice arena; and failing to properly warn spectators of the dangerous conditions present.

According to court documents, Blumhagen sued the involved parties on the grounds of future loss of function of the body, past and future severe disfigurement and scarring, past and future physical and mental pain and suffering, mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life, past and future medical expenses, and future lost income and earning capacity.

Blumhagen’s attorney, Jason Zabokrtsky, said he needs one more signature from the parties involved before a specific dollar amount paid by each party is released, but did confirm the settlement totaled $117,500.

Blumhagen, who currently resides in Austin, Texas, graduated from Iowa State in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in transportation and logistics.