The estate of a man with a history of suicidal thoughts and various mental health diagnoses who died by suicide last year in Allegheny County Jail is suing the county.

Martin Bucek, of Shaler, died on July 3, 2021. He was 55.

Dolores Bucek, the administrator of Bucek’s estate, filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

It alleges that the jail has defective policies, procedures and practices for supervising inmates who are suicidal or have medical problems. The lawsuit also said that jail staff ignored Bucek’s erratic behavior leading to his suicide.

A complaint filed in the case said Bucek tried to commit suicide on June 18, 2021, and received treatment at UPMC Presbyterian.

Four days later, he received treatment for depression at St. Clair Hospital. While there, the lawsuit said, he repeatedly said he wanted to kill himself and asked to be admitted for psychiatric care.

“The medical records noted Mr. Bucek made continuous pleas of ‘Please help me!’ to several medical providers assisting him,” the lawsuit said. “St. Clair Hospital opted to discharge Mr. Bucek.”

That same day, the lawsuit continued, Bucek assaulted a staff nurse in a supply closet. He was arrested two days later and taken to Allegheny County Jail.

The lawsuit alleges that Bucek had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and anxiety, and that jail staff had medical records documenting those conditions as well as his suicidal tendencies.

Still, when he was booked into the county jail, the complaint said, he was admitted under regular observation status.

Bucek was evaluated the next day and found to be depressed, hopeless and experiencing panic attacks and auditory hallucinations, the complaint said. He was prescribed several medications and placed on suicide watch.

The lawsuit said he was released from suicide watch the next day.

On June 29, staff visited Bucek to check on self-inflicted injuries, including ones suffered from hitting his head multiple times on a door, poking his right eye with his finger and violently poking a spoon multiple times in both ears causing bleeding.

“Despite his erratic, self-harming behavior, Mr. Bucek was not moved to close observation status, also known as ‘suicide watch,’” the lawsuit said.

On July 1, the lawsuit said, Bucek was seen on his bunk screaming “kill me.” Medical staff described him as “psychotic, sweaty” and “unable to calm down.”

Two days later, Bucek was found lying on the floor, unresponsive. The medical examiner’s office said he died from asphyxia because his airway was obstructed by food.

The lawsuit also names as defendants Warden Orlando Harper and former Chief Deputy Warden Laura Williams.

An Allegheny County spokeswoman said she could not comment on pending litigation.

A class-action lawsuit filed in September 2020 alleged that Allegheny County Jail’s suicide rate was among the highest in the country with nine suicides there since 2016. The Bucek complaint alleges that at least one other occurred after the 2020 lawsuit was filed.

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