Colorado To Pay Family Over Mental Hospital Death

DENVER (AP) - The state of Colorado has agreed to pay $775,000 to the family of a man who died at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo after suffocating while being restrained while face down.

The state Department of Human Services said Monday it also will produce a staff training video on proper patient management methods, with participation from Troy Geske's family.

Geske suffocated in 2010 after being placed face down, with his limbs restrained with leather bindings and a leather strap placed over his back to hold him to a gurney. Afterward, the Colorado Department of Human Services banned the use of prone restraint in facilities that it operates.

State officials in May approved a rule banning the technique in the department's contract and licensed facilities.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)