The mother of an Erie County Holding Center inmate who died two years ago is suing the county, the Sheriff’s Office and the Holding Center.
Gail Bialaszewski said her son Joseph, 29, suffered “serious” injuries due to the “negligence” of jail guards and “their delay in providing medical assistance” for an ulcer that developed complications.
Michael Cooper, the attorney who filed the lawsuit in State Supreme Court two weeks ago, told the Buffalo News that autopsy results indicate “if he had regular medical care, he never should have died.”
Joseph Bialaszewski was arrested on a parole violation by Buffalo Police on July 16, 2019, and after a scuffle, was also charged with resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration.
He was allegedly found slumped over in a detox unit at the Holding Center on July 24 of that year and died two days later at Buffalo General Medical Center. But there was a discrepancy regarding his location when he was found.
