Father in car was among 7 killed in Philadelphia medevac jet crash. His 9-year-old son is fighting for his life
By Rebekah Riess and Danny Freeman, CNN
(CNN) — A father who was inside his car when a medevac jet crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood last week was among seven killed in the incident, a medical examiner’s office says, meaning those seven have now been publicly identified. And his young son who was also in the car is now fighting for his life, his family says.
The twin-engine medevac jet carrying a child patient, her mother and the crew members crashed into a road in northeast Philadelphia on Friday night, showering flames and debris on homes and vehicles traveling on the street.
First responders at the scene found a person dead inside one of the vehicles and the Philadelphia medical examiner’s office has now positively identified that man as 37-year-old Steven Dreuitt from Philadelphia.
All six people aboard the jet were killed when it crashed, along with Dreuitt on the ground. At least 24 people on the ground were injured, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said Monday.
Dreuitt’s son Ramesses was with his father when their car caught fire near the crash site Friday night, engulfing the 9-year-old’s body in flames, Virgen Viera, the child’s grandmother, told CNN affiliate KYW in a story published Tuesday.
The boy, who has burns on 90% of his body, was recovering in a burn unit in Boston, Viera said.
The family, who has asked for privacy, is focused on Ramesses’ recovery.
“I trust in God. Trust in God,” Viera told KYW.
Investigators working to determine the cause of the fiery crash have been collecting debris from the crash site, which spans four to six blocks, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said.
The plane’s cockpit voice recorder was located at the site of initial impact, along with the airplane’s enhanced ground proximity warning system, which could also contain flight data. Both have been sent to an NTSB laboratory in Washington, DC for evaluation, according to the agency.
The six people on the plane were Mexican nationals, Mexico’s president said.
On board were a pediatric patient and her mother returning home to Mexico after the child had been treated in Philadelphia, said Shai Gold, spokesperson for flight operator Jet Rescue Air Ambulance. The girl was being treated for an illness at Shriners Children’s Hospital in northeast Philadelphia, city officials said Saturday.
Four crew members – a pilot, co-pilot, paramedic and doctor – were also on board the flight, which was scheduled to stop for refueling at the Springfield airport before continuing to its final destination of Tijuana, Mexico, Gold told CNN.
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