Kentucky School District Will Pay $1.75 Million To Family Of Autistic Child Whose Legs Were Broken

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The family of an autistic teenager whose legs were broken when a teaching assistant physically restrained him will be paid $1.75 million by a Kentucky school district.

The family did not sue the Jefferson County Public Schools, and an internal investigation found no evidence of excessive force, but the district decided to resolve the case anyway, spokeswoman Jennifer Brislin tells the Courier-Journal.

The boy nearly died, spending a week in intensive care and needing blood transfusions to survive.

Witnesses said the boy was being disruptive before teaching assistant Sherman Williams gripped him from behind and lowered him from a chair to the floor in November 2014.

Medical experts said their descriptions don't match the injuries, and that an outside investigation is needed.

The teaching assistant is back at work.

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