WTAE President & General Manager Charles W. Wolfertz III speaks on behalf of the editorial board about the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse.
The discussion revolves around the urgency for victims of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse to file lawsuits against the parties responsible as the clock begins to run out. The editorial emphasizes the fight for unredacted inspection reports related to the incident. Attorney Peter D. Giglione is representing Daryl and Karen Luciani in the Fern Hollow Bridge case against the city.
Watch WTAE President plead with City Council
Earlier in November a Judge issued a court order, subpoenas in Fern Hollow Bridge collapse case.
Watch Judge orders the release of documents
A Pittsburgh Post Gazette article covers the City’s response to the matter here in their editorial: Pittsburgh continues, shamefully and illogically, to hide Fern Hollow documents which discusses the ongoing struggle for transparency in the aftermath of the Fern Hollow bridge disaster. The City of Pittsburgh has been criticized for its refusal to release crucial documents related to the incident. Despite a judge’s order to release some information to the victims, the city continues to withhold bridge inspection reports that could reveal the extent of the bridge’s dilapidation. The city justifies this by citing federal and state laws designed to protect infrastructure vulnerabilities during highway and traffic accident investigations.
The timing of the city’s refusal to release these documents is critical, as it comes just before the two-year statute of limitations for the victims to make claims against the negligent parties. The victims need to file before Jan. 28, 2024, and the information the city is withholding is essential to their case. Judge Phil Ignelzi, who presided over the case, described the entire proceeding as “needless” and “bureaucratic”. He ordered the city to release 311 records and internal emails but stopped short of ordering the release of the inspection reports. The city’s refusal to release these documents not only hampers the victims’ pursuit of justice but also undermines the public safety benefits of transparency.