The 2008 death of a 23-year-old UCLA research assistant in a freak laboratory fire may have been preventable, and the Los Angeles County district attorney's office means to hold those involved responsible.
The district attorney's office filed felony charges against the University of California and a UCLA chemistry professor in connection with Sheharbano Sangji's death, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Both Professor Patrick Harran and the University of California were charged with three counts of willfully violating occupational health and safety standards. Harran faces up to four-and-a-half years in state prison, while UCLA could be fined up to $1.5 million on each of the three counts.
UC officials blasted the charges, calling the incident that took Sangji's life a tragedy, but not a crime, according to the Times.
Nearly half of Sangji's body suffered second- and third- degree burns in a lab fire that erupted during an experiment and ignited her clothing. Sangji was not wearing a protective lab coat at the time, and died 18 days later.
"I cannot describe the level of grief my family has experienced having witnessed the excruciating pain our Sheri suffered in those horrifying days at the burn center - and then losing her forever," said her sister, Naveen Sangji.
The felony charges against both Patrick Harran and the University of California are thought to be the first to stem from an academic lab accident, reported the Times. Sangji's death has even been attributed with initiating giant improvements in academic laboratory safety measures.
Felonies are deemed the most serious class of offense throughout the United States. They are generally punishable by a fine, imprisonment for more than a year, or both. Given the severity of charges against Harran and the University of California, they both will likely need experienced California criminal defense attorneys to represent them in court.
Related Resources:
- Find a Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney (FindLaw)
- UCLA Professor Charged in Death of Research Assistant (KTLA News)
- Felonies (FindLaw)
- Los Angeles Law Libraries (The Los Angeles Criminal Law Blog)
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