Wife Files Wrongful Death Suit After Amazon-Branded Plane Crashes at Miami Airport

1:19 PM ETDeveloping

Politics Desk

In Short: Yaraisi Santiso Morejon, wife of one of the victims, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Amazon and other companies involved in the crash.

The Boeing 767-300 aircraft, branded by Amazon, crashed at Miami International Airport on Sunday, overrunning the runway and striking a van owned by a contract cleaning service. According to reports, the plane was returning from San Juan, Puerto Rico, after a series of flights that included stops in Cincinnati and Miami. The crash resulted in the deaths of four individuals and injuries to five others.

The NTSB Chair, Jennifer Homendy, stated that the plane's thrust increased during landing, indicating a "go-around" attempt, which is a maneuver to abort a landing and circle around to try again. The flight data recorder showed that the pilots were attempting to land again, but the plane overshot the runway, striking a van and a nearby SUV. The van was occupied by workers who were leaving their last job and heading home.

Yaraisi Santiso Morejon, the wife of one of the victims, Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Amazon, Amazon Air Cargo, and 21 Air, as well as the two pilots involved. The lawsuit alleges that the crash was a "foreseeable and preventable result of multiple, concurrent failures." Morejon's statement at a Wednesday news conference highlighted the devastation felt by the family, with her son being particularly affected by the loss of his father.

The plane was carrying over 32,000 pounds of cargo, primarily contact lenses, when it crashed. The cleaning company, Professional Ocean Service Corp., which owned the van struck by the plane, expressed its sorrow over the incident, stating that it was "heartbroken" by the deaths of its workers. The NTSB's investigator, Chihoon Shin, noted that the pilots' actions during the landing attempt were consistent with a "go-around" maneuver, but the outcome was catastrophic.

What's still developing

The Boeing 767-300 aircraft was on its third trip Sunday when it landed and then overran the runway, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said.
The plane careened through a perimeter fence and struck a Toyota SUV that was driving on a road nearby.
A family member said Leon and his coworkers were at the end of their shift when the crash happened, and that Leon’s son was devastated.
Morgan said that it appears the pilots “grossly overshot” the runway.
“It sounds as if there is an unknowing of what to do and unknowing of the imminent danger of overshooting the runway,” he said.

Sources

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