Posted on 07/19/2013 12:26:57 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
A Chinese student on board Asiana Flight 214 survived the crash-landing only to be killed accidentally on the runway by a fire truck racing to the wrecked plane, a coroner confirmed Friday.
San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault disclosed the findings of his autopsy on 16-year-old Ye Meng Yuan, a Chinese student.
Foucralt said she died of "multiple blunt injuries" consistent with being run over by a motor vehicle. He did not say what that vehicle was.
San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said officials believe the girl was struck by a specialized fire vehicle.
"It's very difficult and devastating news for all of us," Hayes-White said. "We are heartbroken."
Authorities confirmed last week that Yuan was hit by a vehicle racing to extinguish flames that broke out on the Boeing 777.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
This would be my luck. Survive a plane crash and get immediately run over by a fire truck.
That will really suck for the guys driving that truck. I wonder how many lives they saved by quickly gaining control of the fire.
why did keep going around and round the aircraft?
This is especially sad. And she’s most likely the only child her parents have, or ever will have.
How did girl run over by SF fire truck get there?
I wonder what effect this will have on liability or payout governed by foreign flight carrier laws and regulations?
What’s that movie where they avoid the log truck accident but die in oyher various means? Drawing blank on the name. I am having a brain fart.
Final Destination or one of its sequels?
They were fighting the fire and re-positioned the truck. Why do you think they went round and round?
It's like one of those convoluted Mad Magazine comic strips.
I seem to remember a movie like that, but I don’t think I ever watched it.
“I seem to remember a movie like that, but I don’t think I ever watched it.”
Hot Shots but it was an ambulance.
https://sites.google.com/site/vietnamveterans349/stories-from-vietnam
This next story is from a pilot who was in VMFA 314 at Chu Lai in ‘69. You Vietnam F4 guys will appreciate this story. Here’s another ‘bad day’ from Chu Lai:
I was one of a half-dozen replacements who checked-in with MAG-13 on August 2. We were not all assigned to VMFA-314 though. There were two other combat squadrons in the Air Group: VMFA-115, the Able Eagles, and VMFA-323, the Death Rattlers. All three squadrons flew the McDonnell Douglas F4B Phantom II and shared common living areas. Although we may have been in different squadrons, eventually we all got to know each other very well.
The first thing we six rookies did was attend an Air Group briefing in an underground bunker protected by a thick layer of sandbags. This bunker served as our group intelligence center. Suddenly, an urgent radio call interrupted our briefing. We listened as one of VMFA-115s aircraft radioed-in to report a problem. The aircraft had been hit by enemy ground fire and could not lower its landing gear. The pilot was going to attempt a belly landing on the runway. At that news, we all raced outside near the runway to grab a good spot from which to watch the crash landing.
Crash crews raced to cover the runway with a layer of fire retardant foam while the damaged F4 circled overhead, burning down its load of fuel. Two arresting cables were strung across the middle of the runway. The cables were anchored on each end by a chain made with heavy, 40-pound links. The plan was for the F4 to lower his tail hook, to belly-land in the foam, to catch one of the arresting wires, and to come to a screeching halt. It did not quite happen that way.
After burning off most of his fuel, the pilot gingerly lowered the airplane onto the foamed runway. A spark set off the fumes in the jet’s empty wing tanks and they erupted into flames. All one could see racing down the runway were two wingtips protruding from an orange and black ball of fire heading toward the arresting cables. The F4 hit the first arresting cable. We watched the cable snap and hurl its 40-pound chain links skyward. Then the plane hit the second arresting cable. It also parted and flung its chain links. The aircraft was now just a ball of fire heading toward the end of the runway.
Then we heard, Boom! Boom! The pilot had lit his afterburners. He was attempting to take-off without wheels! As the aircraft roared toward the end of the runway, it slowly struggled skyward. It got airborne and began to climb nearly vertically. Then, both the pilot and his backseater, the radar intercept officer (RIO), ejected.
We stared in wonder as the aircraft crashed into the nearby ocean. The two crewmen slowly floated down in their parachutes. The wind carried them over the ocean and they too soon splashed down. A rescue helicopter was on the scene immediately. Both of the F4 crewmen, treading water, raised their right hand. This was a signal to the chopper that they were unharmed. The helicopter slowly lowered itself and plucked the pilot out of the water and into the safety of the helicopter. The helicopter then turned its attention to the RIO. As the helicopter slowly lowered itself over the RIO, the helicopter pilot suddenly lost control of his chopper, and he crashed into the water on top of the RIO. As soon as the chopper hit the water, its pilot regained control, got airborne again, and yanked the RIO from the water. Although the RIO was rescued safely, his leg was broken when the helicopter crashed on top of him.
That night at the Officers Club, the RIO sat with his leg elevated and encased in a full-leg cast. As he imbibed a few, he related his story:
* First, we got the shit shot out of us. But, hey, thats okay.
* We weren’t hurt. Then, we survived a belly landing. But, that was okay too. We weren’t hurt.
* Then the pilot decided he’d take off without wheels, but that worked out well too.
* Then we survived an ejection and a water landing, but that was also okay. We weren’t hurt.
* Then the damn rescue helicopter crashed on me and broke my leg!”
I think zero, everybody was already out. In any event, I'm quite sympathetic to the plight of the first responders. Their adrenaline level was maxxed out and they don't know what to expect.
YES!!! THAT’S. IT!!!
If she was black, this would have been intentional . . .
It’s horrible. I just felt sick when I first heard of this, and still do.
More Gubermint Heroes?
They’re supposed to be trained for that.
I have been running low on patience for first responders on a mission to save the day ever since Katrina, when a cowboy cop from who-knows-where almost took me out as he rounded a corner at high speed and zoomed the wrong way on a one-way street.
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