The estates of Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo and Lizeth Murillo Osuna have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Med Jets over the Jan. 31 Learjet 55 crash near Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia that killed eight people and injured about 20. The complaint alleges the operator failed to keep the aircraft airworthy, neglected maintenance and did not adequately train crew. Plaintiffs note an NTSB finding that the cockpit voice recorder was not functioning and point to a prior Med Jets fatal accident in November 2023. Attorneys say the litigation seeks answers and accountability for the victims and their families.
Families File Wrongful-Death Suit After Philadelphia Medical Jet Crash, Alleging Negligence and 'Agonizing' Deaths
The estates of Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo and Lizeth Murillo Osuna have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Med Jets over the Jan. 31 Learjet 55 crash near Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia that killed eight people and injured about 20. The complaint alleges the operator failed to keep the aircraft airworthy, neglected maintenance and did not adequately train crew. Plaintiffs note an NTSB finding that the cockpit voice recorder was not functioning and point to a prior Med Jets fatal accident in November 2023. Attorneys say the litigation seeks answers and accountability for the victims and their families.
07:40 AM, 11/19/2025Society
Families representing two of the victims killed in the January medical-jet crash in Philadelphia have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit accusing the aircraft operator of negligence in connection with the disaster that claimed eight lives.
The complaint, filed Nov. 17 by the estates of Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo, a pediatrician, and Lizeth Murillo Osuna, the mother of a child who had been receiving care at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia, names Med Jets as the defendant. The filing alleges the company failed to ensure the aircraft was airworthy, neglected proper maintenance and did not adequately train pilots and crew.
According to the court documents, on Jan. 31 Med Jets Flight 056, a Learjet 55 carrying six Mexican nationals — including Arredondo, Osuna and her daughter Valentina, plus two pilots — departed Northeast Philadelphia Airport en route to Tijuana, Mexico. About one minute after takeoff the aircraft crashed near the intersection of Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue, "erupting 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 aboard the jet were killed at the scene. The crash also killed one person in a vehicle struck by debris, and an eighth victim later died from injuries sustained in the incident. Approximately 20 people were injured.
The plaintiffs assert that, because of the defendants' "carelessness, negligence, and recklessness," Arredondo and Osuna sustained "severe, disabling, and excruciating injuries" and an "agonizing death resulting from being engulfed in flames and incinerated when the subject Learjet 55 crashed and erupted in a massive fireball." The estates seek damages and wrongful-death relief for the victims' beneficiaries.
The complaint cites a March preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board indicating the Learjet's cockpit voice recorder was not functioning and likely had not been for several years. The NTSB also noted that the flight crew did not transmit distress calls to air traffic control. The agency's preliminary report did not determine a cause for the accident.
Court papers additionally note that a Learjet 35A owned and operated by Med Jets was involved in a fatal accident while landing at Cuernavaca Airport in Mexico on Nov. 1, 2023. The plaintiffs allege this history is relevant to the company's safety practices.
"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 attorneys Jeffrey Goodman and Bob Mongeluzzi, who represent the families of Arredondo and Osuna. "Unfortunately, given the lack of functioning onboard recording systems, much remains to be determined as to the cause of this crash. 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."
The operator reportedly does business as Jet Rescue. Med Jets' legal representatives and the operator were contacted for comment, according to the court filing.