Allegheny County

Port Authority bus driver involved in Fern Hollow Bridge collapse looking to sue City of Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — The Port Authority driver who was driving the bus that was on the Fern Hollow Bridge when it collapsed in January has filed a notice that he plans to sue the City of Pittsburgh.

Daryl Luciani and his wife, Karen Luciani, filed a motion Monday asking the city to provide records, reports and documents related to the bridge collapse.

The motion requests information from 2011 until now and includes information so the couple can identify the entities responsible for the collapse, including attachments, drawings and video related to any inspection report and all maintenance records for the bridge. The motion also calls for any communication about the condition of the bridge from officials.

Luciani told Channel 11 he could feel the bridge collapsing beneath him.

Luciani was driving the bus when the Fern Hollow bridge fell. He told Channel 11 he wasn’t scheduled to be working Friday, but picked up an extra shift to get some overtime.

The motion filed stated Luciani suffered serious physical and mental injuries, while his wife suffered the loss of spousal consortium. The motion alleges the city was aware that the bridge was in poor condition and required repairs, remediation and/or service work.

Luciani isn’t the only person planning legal action against Pittsburgh for the tragedy.

Velva and Tyrone Perry, 69, were driving across the Fern Hollow Bridge to care for an elderly loved one on the morning of Jan. 28 when the bridge collapsed. Their red pickup truck was shown in aerial photos taken from the day of the collapse.

The couple announced in February they would be taking legal action against the city, PennDOT and the Port Authority of Allegheny County.