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 โremarkableโ efforts of firefighters who responded to the July 6 crash of an Asiana Airlines plane, โexposing 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 airlineโs 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. โI 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.
โThe death of Le Mengyuan was a tragic accident that did not involve any violation of our criminal laws,โ he added.