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Will firefighter be charged after Asiana crash? Case is in prosecutor’s hands

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The aftermath of Asiana Airlines flight 214 with 307 people on board, originated in Shanghai, China, and stopped in Seoul, So
The aftermath of Asiana Airlines flight 214 with 307 people on board, originated in Shanghai, China, and stopped in Seoul, South Korea. It was preparing to land in San Francisco […] Credit: Eugene Rah

Authorities have completed an investigation into the death of a 16-year-old girl who survived the Asiana Airlines crash in San Francisco, only to be run over by a fire truck.

The case is now in the hands of the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether the firefighter involved will face charges, CNN affiliate KPIX reported Wednesday.

“The case has been submitted to us for review and we will see if there is any basis for prosecution,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said in a written statement to CNN.

A California coroner ruled that Ye Mengyuan was alive when she was flung from the plane that crash landed at San Francisco International Airport in July but was killed by “multiple blunt injuries” moments later when run over by a rescue vehicle.

San Francisco Police Department officials did not immediately return a request for comment.

Fire Department officials are still investigating the incident, KPIX reported.

In July, San Francisco Fire Department Chief Joanne Hayes-White called the girl’s death “a tragic accident” and apologized to Ye’s family.

“Obviously this is very difficult news for us. We’re heartbroken. We’re in the business of saving lives,” Hayes-White said at the time. “There’s not a lot of words to describe how badly we feel about it.”

CNN’s Dave Alsup, Michael Martinez and Jason Hanna contributed to this report.

Karan Olson | CNN

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