LOS ANGELES (AP) — An investigator said in court that a colleague of a young researcher who died in a UCLA laboratory fire heard her screams as he returned from lunch and saw her engulfed in flames.
The witness said Monday that the colleague threw his lab coat over the young woman, but it caught fire and he then poured water on her.
The investigator from CAL/OSHA testified at a preliminary hearing which will determine whether chemistry professor Patrick Harran will stand trial on charges that he failed to provide safety instructions and equipment for his lab researchers. He is charged with willful violation of occupational safety and health standards causing the death of an employee.
Harran claims the 2008 fire was an accident.
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