Firefighters saw student alive before killing her

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop, stop, stop! There’s a body … there’s a body right there. Right in front of you.

 

Those are the words a San Francisco firefighter hollered as he ran up to an oncoming firetruck as it approached the wrecked and burning Boeing 777 that was Asiana Flight 214. Inexplicably and tragically though, neither he nor the driver, nor any other firefighter on the scene took any more steps to prevent the ensuing horrific and “completely avoidable” death of the injured teenager. A recently released video shows multiple firefighters working the plane near and around 16 year old Chinese student Ye Meng Yuan’s injured body as she lay helpless on the ground near the wing.  Only minutes later, while concentrating on the burning plane, two firetrucks would run over the girl’s head, killing her.

To make matters worse, the video footage also seems to portray a less chaotic environment than what the fire department led the public to believe was a contributing factor to the girl’s death.

The family’s lawyer, aviation attorney Justin Green explained that several firefighters saw her lying on the tarmac, but none “did the basic step of checking if she was alive.”

It’s unthinkable. It’s unimaginable, because the first thing – the first priority of the firefighters or any rescue personnel – is saving lives, and the first step in triage is to take the pulse, check the respiration. That was never done.

 

The process of helmet cams and videotaping by firefighters on the scene of an emergency itself became controversial once the revealing tape was released. San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White banned the helmet-mounted cameras, citing victims’ and firefighters’ privacy concerns.

Ye was one of three casualties from the July crash. The other two victims, Wang Linjia and Liu Yipeng are also represented by Green’s firm, Kreindler & Kreindler, LLP.