Phoenix, Arizona — The City of Phoenix has agreed to pay $605,000 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a 76-year-old man who allegedly suffered fatal injuries after firefighters dropped him while transporting him from his home.
The settlement, approved unanimously by the Phoenix City Council during a July 1 meeting, resolves claims brought by the wife of Ronald Shuck, who died weeks after the January 2024 incident.
According to the lawsuit, firefighters responding to a medical emergency used a rolling office chair rather than a proper medical transport device, resulting in a devastating fall.
Lawsuit Claims Firefighters Used Rolling Chair Instead of Gurney
According to the complaint, the incident occurred on January 5, 2024, after Shuck was unable to stand up from a toilet inside his trailer home.
His wife called 911, and Phoenix firefighters arrived to assist. The lawsuit states that firefighters initially placed Shuck into a rolling desk chair without armrests while checking his condition.
After evaluating him, they reportedly recommended that he be transported to a hospital for further examination.
However, the lawsuit alleges that instead of transferring him onto a gurney, four firefighters attempted to carry him while he remained seated in the office chair down four concrete steps leading from the home’s porch.
Family Says Fall Caused Catastrophic Injuries
According to the complaint, Shuck was facing backward when firefighters allegedly lost control of the chair.
The lawsuit claims he fell backward, striking the concrete steps and ground with his head and upper back while his wife watched the incident unfold.
Immediately afterward, Shuck reportedly complained of severe head and back pain before being transported to a hospital.
Doctors later diagnosed him with injuries allegedly caused by the fall.
The complaint further states that Shuck’s condition rapidly deteriorated, leaving him in a vegetative state before he died on January 23, 2024.
Family Accuses Fire Department of Gross Negligence
In the lawsuit, Shuck’s family argued that firefighters failed to follow appropriate patient transport procedures.
The complaint alleges that Ronald Shuck “was unable to walk and should have been carried out to the ambulance on a gurney and/or proper transport device with restraints and straps.”
It also claims the firefighters “failed to provide Ronald Shuck with a safe transfer” and described their actions as grossly negligent.
According to the filing, the family believes trained emergency personnel should have recognized the risks of using a rolling chair to move a patient down stairs.
Settlement Approved as Family Reflects on Loss
The Phoenix City Council unanimously approved the $605,000 settlement during its July 1 meeting, bringing the civil lawsuit to a close.
The settlement resolves the family’s claims but does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing or liability by the city.
Following the incident, Ronald Shuck’s son, Ryan Shuck, questioned why firefighters allegedly chose to use what he described as a “cheap roller chair with no armrests” instead of a gurney.
He said watching his father’s final days was heartbreaking.
“Someone should suffer the consequences for what they did,” Ryan Shuck said. “He could no longer move or talk, or eat or drink. Watching him take his last breath was probably the hardest moment of my life.”
The case has drawn attention to emergency patient transport procedures and the importance of using appropriate equipment when moving individuals with limited mobility.
What do you think about this settlement? Should emergency response agencies review or strengthen patient transport procedures following incidents like this? Share your thoughts respectfully in the comments below.