US firefighter will not face charges in Chinese teen’s death

LOS ANGELES, CA – An American firefighter who accidentally ran over and killed a Chinese teenager after a plane crash at San Francisco airport will not face charges, US prosecutors said.

LOS ANGELES, CA – An American firefighter who accidentally ran over and killed a Chinese teenager after a plane crash at San Francisco airport will not face charges, US prosecutors said.

They highlighted the โ€œremarkableโ€ efforts of firefighters who responded to the July 6 crash of an Asiana Airlines plane, โ€œexposing themselves to potentially life-threatening circumstances.โ€

Ye Mengyuan, 16, had been rescued alive from the Asiana plane and placed near one wing.

She was run over by a fire truck, which lacked infrared equipment, which could have spotted her under a layer of fire retardant foam.

Ye was one of three people killed in the disaster, which left more than 180 injured after the South Korean airlineโ€™s Boeing 777 crashed on landing in San Francisco.

Prosecutors launched an investigation into whether to bring charges against the firefighter driving the vehicle, reportedly a 49-year-old female veteran, although she has not been officially identified. โ€œI have concluded that there is no criminal culpability for any individual involved in the response to the airline crash,โ€ San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

โ€œThe death of Le Mengyuan was a tragic accident that did not involve any violation of our criminal laws,โ€ he added.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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