Suit alleges negligence caused the Jan. 31 jet crash in Northeast Philly

Ryan W. Briggs, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Nov 17, 2025

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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 from Northeast Philadelphia Airport 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 federal investigation — which revealed that the "black box" and other components on the jet were inoperable — and an earlier fatal crash involving a Med Jet plane in Mexico. It leaves open the possibility that the Tijuana-bound plane could have crashed due to pilot error.

"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, who represents the estates of two families. "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-unidentified people "responsible for inspection, maintenance, repairs" of aircraft operated by Med Jets, and corporations involved in the manufacture of Learjet components.

A spokesperson for Med Jets did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The crash occurred after 6 p.m. on a Friday. After plummeting 1,650 feet at more than 235 miles per hour, the jet left a crater that the suit says resembled one created by heavy military artillery. The black box was buried eight feet in the ground.

A 37-year-old Mount Airy motorist was killed when the 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 scope of damage to nearly six blocks of rowhouses and businesses near the Roosevelt Mall 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 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 insurer has requested that a federal judge oversee distribution of the limited funds.

The cause of the crash remains undetermined.

The defective black box, referenced in the lawsuit, 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.