The January medical jet crash in Northeast Philadelphia is now the focus of a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the families of two of the victims. On Monday, the estates of Raul Meza Arredondo and Lizeth Murillo Osuna submitted a complaint in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, alleging negligence by Med Jets, the medical air carrier that operated the Learjet 55. Both were among the six people on board who were killed when the aircraft crashed near Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue shortly after takeoff.
The crash occurred on Jan. 31, shortly after 6 p.m., when the aircraft departed Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 6:06 p.m. bound for Tijuana, Mexico, with plans to stop in Missouri. It lasted less than one minute in the air before diving roughly 1,650 feet at more than 235 miles per hour and slamming into Cottman Avenue, where it created a crater several feet deep.
The jet carried six people from Mexico: the pilot, co-pilot, a paramedic, pediatrician Raul Meza Arredondo, and passenger Lizeth Murillo Osuna alongside her 11-year-old daughter, Valentina Guzman Murillo. All six were killed instantly. Two Philadelphia residents — Dominique Goods-Burke and Steven Dreuitt — also died after their vehicle was engulfed in flames, bringing the total death toll to eight. An additional 20 people were injured, and debris and fire damaged or impacted 343 homes across nearly six blocks of rowhouses and businesses near the Roosevelt Mall.
Arredondo was on the flight to provide medical support for Valentina Guzman Murillo, and Osuna had traveled to Philadelphia so her daughter could receive life-saving care at Shriner’s Hospital in North Philadelphia. Their journey home ended with the crash, and their families contend that the loss could have been avoided.
The lawsuit accuses Med Jets of negligence and “carelessness,” stating that the deaths “were the direct and proximate result of the carelessness, negligence, and recklessness” of the company. It alleges the owner failed to ensure the more-than-40-year-old jet was in a safe and operable condition and failed to “engage in regular and routine maintenance.” The complaint also names as defendants unidentified individuals responsible for the inspection, maintenance, and repair of Med Jets aircraft, along with corporations involved in manufacturing Learjet components.
Federal investigators’ findings are referenced throughout the filing. A National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report released in March revealed that the cockpit voice recorder did not record the Jan. 31 flight and likely had not worked for several years. The “black box” was found buried eight feet in the ground, offering no audio clues about the final moments on board. As a result, the NTSB has not yet identified the cause of the crash. A final report, which could determine the probable cause and any contributing factors, may take one to two years to complete.
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Attorney Jeffrey P. Goodman of Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky, who represents the families of Arredondo and Osuna, described the filing as an effort to secure accountability for the victims. He said that the absence of working recording systems has left critical questions unanswered about what occurred on board the aircraft in the moments before the crash.
The lawsuit also references another fatal incident tied to Med Jets: a Nov. 1, 2023 crash of a Learjet 35A in Morales, Mexico. Plaintiffs argue this earlier disaster raises further concerns about the company’s safety practices.
The financial repercussions are already extensive. A Mexican insurer tied to Med Jets, which also operates under the name Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, has petitioned a federal court, arguing that claims from the crash will far exceed the $10 million limit of the insurance policy. The city of Philadelphia has reported more than $2.5 million in costs from emergency response operations alone, and dozens of additional claims are expected.
