The widow of a van driver who died in Sunday’s Amazon cargo plane crash has brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the online retail giant and the two pilots involved.
Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53, was killed on September 6 after Amazon Air Flight 7598 overran the runway at Miami International Airport.
The aircraft had been arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, on what the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board said was its third flight of the day.
Naranjo was among five people killed when the jet crashed and struck vehicles on a nearby road. Five others were injured.
His wife, Yaraisi Santiso Morejon, is suing Amazon, Inc., Amazon Air Cargo, 21 Air LLC, other affiliated companies connected to the plane’s operation, the aircraft’s lessors, and pilots Joseph Carroll and Jaime Felipe Silva Molina.
Carroll served 15 years in the military before moving into airline work, Our News Outlet can reveal. He began flying commercial aircraft in 2018, first with SkyWest Airlines, then Kalitta Charters, and most recently 21Air, which operated Sunday’s Amazon flight.
The complaint, obtained by Our News Outlet, alleges a series of overlapping failures, including pilot error, insufficient training and the use of a 32-year-old aircraft.
‘This disaster was not an unavoidable accident,’ the complaint states. ‘It was the foreseeable and preventable result of multiple, concurrent failures.’
Morejon is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 per the lawsuit.
The widow of van driver Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53, submitted a lawsuit against Amazon and two pilots
The complaint submitted on behalf of Yaraisi Santiso Morejon alleges failures, including alleged pilot error, inadequate training and the deployment of a 32-year-old aircraft
The five people killed when an Amazon cargo jet ran off the runway at Miami International Airport have been identified
John Morgan, founder of Morgan & Morgan, which submitted the complaint, said: ‘Our hearts go out to Yaraisi and her family, as well as all those who were impacted by what we believe was a preventable tragedy.
‘No one should lose their loved one this way, and the filing of this lawsuit is just the beginning of our fight to secure justice and accountability for Mr. Naranjo’s death. We will not rest until everyone who played a role in this horrific crash is held accountable.
Morgan & Morgan attorney, Mike Morgan, added: ‘We allege that this was not a freak accident, but a foreseeable and preventable disaster caused by negligence.
‘What we’ve already uncovered points to a series of failures by the people flying the plane, the companies that put it in the air and the systems that were supposed to prevent this exact kind of tragedy. Yaraisi deserves answers and justice. We intend to get her both.’
The aircraft slammed into a van then through a fence, and then onto a street where it destroyed an SUV.
The Boeing 767 slammed into two vehicles as it tried to land on the tarmac on Sunday
Miami International Airport is not equipped with the Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) that has been installed at more than 120 airports nationwide and helps slow down jets that overshoot runways. Above, the technology in use in Boca Raton, Florida, last year
The five killed were all in a van owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp, a contract cleaning company for airline companies, NBC News reported.
‘Our employees are far more than the people who work beside us each day; they are family, and they are deeply loved,’ the firm said in a statement.
‘Our hearts and prayers are with every employee and every family whose lives have been forever changed. We grieve with those who lost a loved one and pray for the healing and recovery of those who were injured.’
The five victims were identified as Naranjo, Rolando Aleman, 55, Julio C Pineda, 75, Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53, and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.
Terrifying dispatch audio obtained by Our News Outlet revealed the horrific moment rescuers counted the dead after the crash.
‘This aircraft overran the runway and crossed 67th Avenue. It struck a truck,’ one emergency responder said, according to the audio.
‘We do have a patient on the ground. We’re looking at surveilling the area for more patients.’
The private operator behind the Amazon cargo plane had previously been accused of violating safety regulations.
Our News Outlet contacted Amazon for comment.
This is a developing story.
