A 16-year-old laid severely injured on an airport runway after a deadly plane crash. She thought that first responders were coming to rescue her, but they ran over her twice with a firetruck instead.
The Plane Crash
On July 6, 2013, Ye Meng Yuan was onboard Asiana Airlines Flight 214 when the flight stalled, causing the plane to start falling. There was not enough flight force to keep the aircraft flying as it crashed upon its final approach to San Francisco International Airport.
Of the 307 passengers who descended from Incheon International Airport, 187 of them were injured, including Yuan. She was ejected from the plane and started to suffer from internal hemorrhaging.
Firefighters Ignored Yuan
Bodycam footage showed that multiple firefighters spotted Yuan lying on the grass, warning that there was a body right in front of them. Although they acknowledged Yuan lying there, none of them stopped to check her vitals and thought she was dead.
The firetruck continued to rush towards the South Korean aircraft that was blazing fire and smoke, driving over Yuan’s head. A different truck drove over to the area where she laid lifeless and drove over her a second time. She tragically passed away, as well as her middle school best friend who was identified as Wang Linjia, and 15-year-old Liu Yipeng.
Lawsuits and Consequences
Yuan’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of San Francisco. Dozens of lawsuits against the plane manufacturer were filed, but many foreign passengers were not able to sue the airline due to an international treaty.
“Rescuers breached their duty of care to Ye Meng Yuan and claimants and were grossly negligent.”
Yuan family’s lawyer
City officials reported to the National Transportation Safety Board that Yuan was not alive when she was run over. The San Mateo County coroner contradicted those claims. An autopsy performed by the coroner showed that the internal bleeding Yuan endured meant her heart was still beating when she was struck.
City representatives also reported that Yuan did not appear to wear her seatbelt when the plane started to land. They defended their actions by insisting that the scene was simply too chaotic.
A firm that represented 14 passengers on the plane stated that the city of San Francisco made these claims to avoid paying a large settlement. “[They] are not going to admit anything in public records that could later be used against them,” Aviation attorney Ron Goldman explained.
In 2015, Yuan’s family dropped the lawsuit against the city and amicably reached a confidential settlement. The city attorney’s office expressed that no money was paid to the family to dismiss their lawsuit. 72 other passengers settled their lawsuits for an undisclosed amount.
