Man Struggles In Vain To Breathe While Strapped Down at Pueblo Psych Hospital.
Call7 Investigators in Denver obtained the surveillance video of a man, strapped face down in restraints and left alone in an isolation room, struggling for air and slowly suffocating at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo.
CMHIP staff are seen forcibly putting the man in prone restraint, then leaving the room. They fail to monitor him adequately during his fatal asphyxiation.
Troy Geske, 41, was obese and suffering from a respiratory infection when he was forced face down on a table, then held down by four CMHIP staff while being strapped so tightly that he is unable to move, his own weight pressing down on his lungs. During the take-down, one employee is seen pressing Geske’s face onto the table, and another has his elbow in Geske’s back, further impairing the man’s attempts to breathe at a time he was clearly panicked and in need of oxygen.
The reason for the restraint that ultimately led to this cruel and inhumane death? Geske was refusing to take the psychiatric drug(s) staff were trying to administer to him.
The state had gone to court to try to block release of this shocking video.
Just as shocking is the fact that a Pueblo grand jury failed to return any criminal indictments against any of the staff involved. (See our article, “You Be The Judge: Pueblo Grand Jury Returns Findings In Death of State Hospital Patient.”)
The Call7 Investigators report and video can be seen by clicking here. WARNING: This an extremely disturbing video.
If you or someone you know has been put in restraints at a psychiatric facility or has any experience with CMHIP, we want to talk to you. You can contact us privately by clicking here or by calling 303-789-5225. All information will be kept in the strictest confidence. We welcome your comments on this article below.
