Bridgeville man died in Allegheny County Jail of brain hemorrhage, officials say

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled a Bridgeville man’s May death at Allegheny County Jail an accident.

James Washington, 42, died from a brain hemorrhage, the medical examiner’s office said.

Washington was being processed into the jail around 9:30 a.m. May 7 when he became unresponsive, the medical examiner’s office said.

Before that, two drug screens had showed that Washington had fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs in his system, officials said. After he became unresponsive, correctional and medical staff administered four doses of Narcan to Washington while waiting for emergency medical personnel to arrive, officials said. Narcan is administered to reverse the effects of a drug overdose.

Officials said Washington was responsive when he left the jail to be taken to UPMC Mercy hospital, but he died there the following day.

Jail officials said this spring that a local police department had brought Washington to the Downtown jail, but it’s unknown why. Online court records did not show any criminal charges being filed against Washington in Allegheny County around that time.