Boy, 10, Who Suffered Burns to 90% of His Body After Medical Jet Plane Crash Finally Returns Home

A 10-year-old boy who suffered severe burns in January’s fatal ambulance-plane crash in Philadelphia is back home after months of treatment that included extensive surgeries and rehabilitation in Boston and New Jersey.

“I was praying so hard we’d be home for Christmas,” the boy’s mother, Jamie Vazquez-Viana, told CBS affiliate KYW. “I just wanted my three boys with me.”

On Jan. 31, the child — then 9 — was riding in a car with his father, Steven Dreuitt Jr., and his father’s fiancée, Dominique Goods Burke, when a Learjet 55 crashed near the Roosevelt Mall in northeast Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Dreuitt died in the fire, and Goods Burke later died from her injuries at a hospital on April 27.

In a GoFundMe organized for her son, Jamie wrote that the crash left him with catastrophic burns.

“Ramesses’ body caught fire and over 90% of his skin was destroyed by the burns. He watched his father burn to death,” Jamie wrote.

The boy was airlifted to a Boston hospital, where he spent 10 months and underwent 42 surgeries, including multiple skin grafts, according to the Inquirer.

In the GoFundMe, Jamie said his injuries were so extensive that amputations were required. “His ears, fingers had to be amputated,” she wrote, adding that the most serious burns were to his face. She also noted that his brothers, Julius, 17, and Jaizen, 13, stayed at home while the family navigated the aftermath.

After the surgeries, the child was transferred to Weisman Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital in Marlton, N.J., KYW reported. During rehabilitation, he worked on regaining basic skills, including walking and speaking.

“It’s the best thing ever that he’ll be home for the holidays,” his grandmother, Alberta “Amira” Brown, told the Inquirer ahead of his discharge. “He is truly happy to be coming home.”

Earlier this week, he returned to Philadelphia and was welcomed by members of the community — including classmates, teachers, and neighbors — KYW reported. The homecoming included a $50,000 donation to his school, Smedley Elementary, from Canva, as well as a new car gifted to the family by David Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram.

“I don’t know … I was not expecting all of this,” Jamie said of the support, according to the outlet.