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While working in Harran's lab, when Sangji was attempting to transfer a reagent, the plunger of the syringe became dislodged from the syringe barrel, causing the reagent to be released. The reagent spilled onto her torso and hands and immediately caught fire. The fire was eventually extinguished by another researcher working nearby. The Victim sustained second and third degree burns over approximately 43 percent of her body. Sangji died eighteen days later.
District Attorney Steve Cooley
Burned
Los Angeles
California
December 29, 2008
| First | Last | Age | Title | Employer | Injury Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheharbano Sheri | Sangji | 23 | Researcher | University of California Los Angeles | Fatality |
| Name | Type | Title | Plea Information | Conviction Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA Board of Regents | Entity | Entity | Unavailable | Criminal case against the university regents was dropped after they agreed to establish a $500,000 scholarship fund in Sangji’s name at the University of California-Berkeley. They also promised to implement new safety measures, including requiring all of UCLA’s principal investigators and their lab employees to complete a safety training program within 60 days. |
|
Penal Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
Other Crimes Charged
Labor Code violation causing death to an employee (Cal. Lab. Code Sec. 6425) |
|||
| Patrick Harran | Individual | Professor, UCLA | Unavailable | Under a "deferred prosecution agreement" Harran admitted no wrongdoing, but must: develop and teach an organic chemistry course for college-bound inner-city students for five summers, perform 800 hours of non-teaching community service in the UCLA Hospital system, and pay $10,000 to the Grossman Burn Center in lieu of restitution to Sangji's family. |
|
Penal Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
Other Crimes Charged
Labor Code violation causing death to an employee (Cal. Lab. Code Sec. 6425) |
|||
| University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) | Entity | Entity | Unavailable | Criminal case against the university regents was dropped after they agreed to establish a $500,000 scholarship fund in Sangji’s name at the University of California-Berkeley. They also promised to implement new safety measures, including requiring all of UCLA’s principal investigators and their lab employees to complete a safety training program within 60 days. |
|
Penal Crimes Charged
Unavailable |
Other Crimes Charged
Labor Code violation causing death to an employee (Cal. Lab. Code Sec. 6425) |
|||