The families of two Mexican nationals killed in a Northeast Philly jet crash have filed a wrongful-death suit against a medical airline, alleging its negligence was responsible for the Jan. 31. disaster that killed eight people, seriously injured at least 20 more, and devastated a neighborhood.
The complaint, filed Monday in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas, was brought by the estates of Raul Meza Arredondo and Lizeth Murillo Osuna against Med Jets, a Mexican air carrier that operates specialized airplanes for medical transport.
Osuna was homebound for Tijuana following her young daughter’s successful medical treatment at Shriner’s Hospital when the Learjet 55 abruptly dove about a minute after takeoff and slammed into Cottman Avenue.
Osuna and her daughter, 11-year-old Valentina Guzman Murillo, were killed instantly, along with the pilot, co-pilot, a paramedic, and Arredondo, a pediatrician.
The suit broadly accuses Med Jets of “carelessness, negligence, and recklessness” for failing “to ensure the aircraft was in a safe and operable condition.” It notes details from a still-ongoing crash investigation — which revealed the “black box” and other components on the jet were inoperable — and an earlier fatal crash involving a Med Jet plane in Mexico.
“Today’s filing is an important step on behalf of the victims of this tragedy to hold those responsible for this deadly crash fully accountable,” said Jeffrey P. Goodman, an attorney with Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky. “Unfortunately, given the lack of functioning onboard recording systems, much remains to be determined as to the cause of this crash.”
The complaint, which seeks unspecified compensatory damages, also names as defendants still unknown individuals “responsible for inspection, maintenance, repairs” of aircraft operated by Med Jets, and corporations involved in the manufacture of Learjet components.
Along with Osuna, her daughter and four crew members, a 37-year-old Mount Airy motorist was killed when the careening jet’s fuel set his car ablaze. A passenger in the same vehicle was critically injured and succumbed to her injuries in April. The driver’s 9-year-old son also suffered serious burns, requiring extensive medical treatment.
The spray of debris and molten jet fuel injured at least 24 others, and brought catastrophic damage to a nearby rowhouses and businesses near Roosevelt Mall.
The scope of damage from the crash has already led a Mexican insurer for Med Jets, which also does business as Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, to preemptively file an action in federal court, pleading that claims related to the incident would far exceed a $10 million limit on the carrier’s policy.
The insurer requested that a federal judge oversee distribution of the limited funds — which TKVOICE said would result in many victims receiving far less than the face value of their claims.
» READ MORE: Claims in N.E. Philly plane crash expected to exhaust airline’s $10 million insurance policy
The city of Philadelphia alone reported more than $2.5 million in damages related to the local emergency response effort, and the case has already drawn dozens of other claimants.
The cause of the crash remains undetermined.
The defective black box, referenced in the suit, left National Transportation Safety Board investigators with few clues as to what occurred on board in the moments leading up to the crash. Their efforts were further frustrated by the sheer force of the impact and an ensuing blaze, which incinerated much of the plane wreckage.