Just as the nation is paving its way to recover from the American Airlines crash, another one unfortunately ensued. A Learjet 55 air ambulance carrying a young girl who had undergone life-saving medical treatment in the US crashed in an infernal explosion in northeast Philadelphia on Friday night.
The plane was headed to Tijuana, Mexico to send the girl back home but fate had another say in this.
RELATED STORIES
The flight plan
The Learjet 55 air ambulance, operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, was taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport and headed for Tijuana, Mexico with a stop at Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri.
The execution took a tragic turn
The plane took off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport but suddenly plummeted into a highly populated area, sadly killing six people. The blazes spread in the crash site, near Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, catching buildings and vehicles in their way.
A spokesman confirmed the news
Shai Gold, a spokesman for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, did confirm the heartwrenching news, honoring the girl’s memory for fighting to survive her illness.
“She did her course of care. She was going home. She fought quite a lot to survive, and unfortunately, this tragedy on the way home,” she said.
The six on board of the Learjet
Apart from the girl on the Learjet 55, there was also her mother, a pilot, a co-pilot, a doctor, and a paramedic. Each one of these people was dedicated and, as it turns out, sacrificed their lives to ensure the child’s safe return, but unfortunately, to no avail.
Why the need for an aircraft?
The Learjet 55 is the kind of aircraft used to critically transport and handle patients with severe medical conditions, and the young girl who was onboard was no exception.
She was a patient of Shriners Children’s Philadelphia Hospital, the hospital itself confirmed.
The hospital also released a statement
“Shriners Children’s is heartbroken to confirm that one of our pediatric patients and the child’s mother were aboard the Jet Rescue Air Ambulance that crashed in Philadelphia this evening,” they said in their statement.
They respected the girl’s privacy
“The patient had received care from Shriners Children’s Philadelphia and was being transported back to her home country in Mexico on a contracted air ambulance when the crash happened. Because of patient privacy concerns, we cannot say any more about the patient and her family at this time,” the hospital representatives continued.
The FAA and NTSB are investigating
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have instantaneously launched a thorough investigation into the causes of the crash.
In addition, The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management declared a “major incident,” warning residents to stay away from the area until first responders and firefighters battled the ruthless flames.
The aftermath of the fires
What was once a lively area is now filled with destruction. Thick, dark plumes of smoke saturated the sky as many fires engulfed the area, including businesses near the Roosevelt Mall.
People screamed with all their might in an attempt to draw help or seek shelter to shield themselves from the scary fires.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro reassured everyone
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro gave out his condolences on social media and assured the public about the resources being deployed.
“We are offering all resources as emergency services respond to the small private plane crash in Northeast Philly. We’ll continue to provide updates as more information is available,” he wrote.
