San Franciso rescuers have been blamed for running over a victim of the Asiana flight 214 crash landing last year, however, investigators looking into the accident say the passenger died when she was thrown from the plane.
The coroner’s report said the teenager died when she was twice run over by emergency vehicles responding to the crash site, in what contradicts the city of San Francisco investigation.
According to USA Today , a report obtained on Wednesday indicates that Ye Meng Yuan was killed when she was thrown from the back of the plane, after the tail got ripped off during the failed landing.
The city of San Francisco filed the report with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Officials say the findings are based on NTSB reports and interviews by Federal investigators.
For their probe, the city could not conduct independent autopsies or consult with medical experts.
San Francisco argues that NTSB investigators determined the 16-year-old had not buckled her seat belt on approach — which is mandated by all airlines — from testimony by eyewitnesses and after investigators discovered her seat belt was unbuckled and still attached to the seat.
Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed in San Francisco International Airport on July 6, 2013 — while landing. The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that Ye Meng Yuan was still alive on the tarmac, after the tail of the Boeing 777 hit the seawall and crashed into the runway, catching fire.
Asiana Crash: No Charges For Firefighter Who Ran Over 16-Year-Old Ye Meng Yuan Following… http://t.co/HdFbfiE0NR pic.twitter.com/5yf0svaEXL
— Lawyer Herald (@lawyerherald) October 21, 2013
San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said the conclusions in the report from the city of San Francisco are not accurate:
“We did our examination and we determined that the young lady was alive when she was struck by the fire trucks. The death certificate says what it says. If someone wants to put a spin on something they can do that.”
The autopsy results suggested that the teen suffered from internal hemorrhaging, which would indicate her heart was still beating at the time, according to Foucrault’s findings.
Attorney Gretchen Nelson, who is representing 14 of the crash victims’ families in a claim against the city of San Francisco, said lawyers “do not agree” with the report, which was prepared by airport and fire department officals.
The city suggested that the safety board ruled that Ye was killed by being thrown from the plane and added:
“We are not trying to solve the case for the NTSB,” San Francisco International Airport spokesman Doug Yakel “They are still the ultimate authority.”
David Levine, a law professor at University of California’s Hastings College of the Law, says the city of San Francisco’s report is only one side of the story, “If you believe the city’s report, damages are going to be zero,” he said. “If you believe the coroner, the family is entitled to millions.”
