The families of two people killed in a January air ambulance crash in Philadelphia have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company that operated the jet.
In a complaint filed on Monday, Nov. 17, the estates of pediatrician Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo and Lizeth Murillo Osuna — the mother of a girl receiving life-saving care at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia — allege negligence by Med Jets, the company that operated the aircraft.
According to the filing, on Jan. 31 Med Jets Flight 056, a Learjet 55 carrying six Mexican nationals — including Arredondo, Osuna, her daughter Valentina and two pilots — departed from Northeast Philadelphia Airport en route to Tijuana, Mexico.
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About one minute after takeoff, the jet crashed near the intersection of Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia, where it “erupt[ed] in a massive explosion that engulfed multiple vehicles and houses and sent fiery debris raining down on terrified and helpless bystanders,” the complaint states.
All six people on board were killed, as well as a person in a vehicle on the ground, according to court documents. An eighth person later died from injuries sustained in the incident, and around 20 people were injured.
The complaint alleges that because of the defendants’ “carelessness, negligence, and recklessness,” both Arredondo and Osuna “suffered severe, disabling, and excruciating injuries” and endured an “agonizing death resulting from being engulfed in flames and incinerated when the subject Learjet 55 crashed and erupted in a massive fireball.”
The families argue that Med Jets had a duty to ensure the plane was safe and operable before the flight from Philadelphia to Mexico. The lawsuit accuses the company of failing to operate the Learjet safely, failing to perform proper and regular maintenance on the aircraft, and failing to ensure that the pilots and flight crew were adequately trained to operate it.
The estates contend that Med Jets is liable for “the injuries and damages suffered by Plaintiffs’ decedents and their respective estates and wrongful death beneficiaries.”
According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board released in March, the Learjet’s cockpit voice recorder was not functioning and likely had not been working for several years. The agency also noted that the flight crew did not issue any distress calls to air traffic controllers. The report did not provide additional information about the cause of the crash.
The court filing also states that a Learjet 35A owned and operated by Med Jets was involved in a previous fatal crash while landing at Cuernavaca Airport in Mexico on Nov. 1, 2023.
“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,” attorneys Jeffrey Goodman and Bob Mongeluzzi, who represent the families of Arredondo and Osuna, said in a statement on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
“Unfortunately, given the lack of functioning onboard recording systems, much remains to be determined as to the cause of this crash,” they added. “This litigation will help the victims get the answers as to why their loved ones senselessly died and why an entire community was placed in harm’s way.”
CNN reported that Med Jets conducts business as Jet Rescue. Jet Rescue and attorneys for Med Jets have been contacted for comment on the lawsuit.
The suit also notes that the flight and company are not affiliated with Medjet, a U.S.-based air medical transport and security response membership program. Medjet has clarified in a prior press release that it has no connection to Med Jets.
