No charges for firefighter who ran over San Francisco plane crash survivor

USPA News - A California firefighter who accidentally ran over and killed one of the survivors of the Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco in July will not face criminal charges, prosecutors said on late Friday after reviewing the circumstances surrounding the death. The accident happened on July 6 after Asiana Airlines flight 214 struck a seawall and crashed on approach to runway 28L at San Francisco International Airport, killing two Chinese students.

A third girl, 16-year-old Ye Mangyuan, was injured but survived the crash until she was run over by a fire truck. San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said Friday that his office concluded there was "no criminal culpability" for any of the emergency workers who responded to the crash. "The death of 16-year-old Ye Mengyuan was a tragic accident that did not involve any violation of our criminal laws," he said. Wagstaffe added: "The remarkable efforts of the San Francisco firefighters and police officers in responding to this very chaotic scene and in attempting to save hundreds of lives while exposing themselves to potentially life-threatening circumstances were considered in our review. Our conclusion remains that it does not involve criminal liability in any manner." Anthony Tarricone, an attorney representing the victim`s family, previously criticized first responders for abandoning Ye and "leaving her in harm`s way." She was covered with foam when she was run over by the truck, and the coroner concluded Ye suffered crushing injuries and internal hemorrhaging that are consistent with being run over by a motor vehicle. "Having arrived at the conclusion that there is no criminal liability for anyone involved in this July 6 incident, my office deems this case closed at this time," Wagstaffe said in an e-mail. He added that his office came to the conclusion after reviewing police reports, firefighter reports, reports from other first responders, the conclusions from the coroner, and content of numerous videos of the scene. Asiana Airlines flight 214 was about to finish a 10-hour flight from Incheon International Airport in South Korea when it crashed in San Francisco. Investigators say the pilot had made a last second request to abort the landing, just 1.5 second before the aircraft struck the seawall that separates the San Francisco Bay from the beginning of runway 28L.