76-year-old being carried down stairs in ‘desk chair’ with no armrests gets dropped on his head by firefighters, leading to vegetative state and his death: Lawsuit

Arizona firefighters dropped a 76-year-old man on his head and back while carrying him in a “cheap roller chair” with no armrests instead of a gurney down a small flight of stairs, causing severe injuries that led to him being in a vegetative state — and his eventual death, the man’s family says.

The city of Phoenix agreed to pay a $605,000 settlement last week to Ronald Shuck’s wife after she filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2024, accusing the Phoenix Fire Department of employing firefighters who were “improperly trained and were grossly negligent” in the care provided to Shuck in January 2024 while responding to a 911 call she placed.

Online records show that the Phoenix City Council voted unanimously to approve the settlement during a July 1 meeting…

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