$1.5M settlement reached with City of Scottsdale in child's death at fire station

 A $1.5 million settlement has been reached with the parents of a toddler who died after he was pinned in a Scottsdale fire-station door last year.

The Scottsdale City Council approved the settlement at its Aug. 27 meeting.

Dan and Courtney Reiss filed a $9 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city and several other defendants last year.

The couple's 16-month-old son, Joey, died in February 2018 after becoming trapped in a large bay door at a Scottsdale fire station and suffering severe head injuries.

Joey Reiss

According to the lawsuit, the bay door quickly and violently slammed shut on the child. Joey was in the nine-inch gap at the hinge point of one of the doors when it slammed shut on him. His mother tried to open the doors, but they were too heavy.

The victim, according to Scottsdale city officials, was a relative of a Scottsdale firefighter on duty at the station. A police report released in April 2018 concluded that the door didn't malfunction and there was no criminal intent in the boy's death.

The Reiss' filed a $9 million lawsuit against the City of Scottsdale in 2018.

"The notice of claim was very detailed of the specific reasons," said Michael Medina with Davis Miles McGuire Gardner LLC. "There's a lot of different things they could've done to prevent this from happening."

The Reiss' attorneys pointed out several ways Joey's death could have been prevented, including warning signs, installing a barrier at the gap where Joey was crushed, and an audible alarm.

"A lot of vehicles, not just commercial vehicles, they have back up alarms, so people can get out of the way. Same thing could've been done with the doors, an alarm notifying people that the doors are closing," said Medina. "I think not only the City of Scottsdale, but also governments across the state should also pay attention."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.