Driver in Liberty Bridge crash that injured couple, newborn gets house arrest

A Brownsville man will spend 20 months on house arrest for causing a head-on crash on the Liberty Bridge that severely injured a couple and their newborn son, an Allegheny County judge ruled Wednesday.

Richard Hauschel, 33, must also wear an electronic monitoring bracelet during his house arrest, which will be followed by 30 months of probation, Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Manning ruled.

Hauschel pleaded guilty in November to three counts of aggravated assault by vehicle and four counts of reckless endangerment in the April 4, 2017, crash.

Brandon and Maureen Ciampaglia were driving home from Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC with their 4-day-old son when Hauschel’s vehicle veered into oncoming traffic and crashed into the family’s vehicle, according to the initial criminal complaint.

Hauschel told investigators he could not recall how the crash happened, but a search of his phone records showed he “was receiving and/or texting messages in the time leading up to the crash while driving on the bridge,” police said.

Brandon Ciampaglia suffered a fractured spine, sternum and ocular bone, and all of his ribs were broken. His wife suffered fractures to her spine, sternum, shoulders and ribs and a ruptured spleen.

Their son suffered a fractured skull, lacerated liver and brain bleed, police said.

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@tribweb.com or via Twitter @meganguzaTrib.