PHILADELPHIA 鈥� For EMTs Alex Salas and Victor Benitez, their dispatch on Jan. 31 initially seemed like a routine call. The two were en route to Shriners Children鈥檚 Philadelphia to pick up Valentina Guzman Murillo.
Salas and Benitez arrived at the hospital, where they met Valentina Guzman Murillo and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Ozuna. Valentina had spent five months at Shriners Children鈥檚 Philadelphia receiving treatment for a life-threatening illness. That day marked her long-awaited release, and she was preparing to return home to Mexico, reported.
鈥淲e got the patient on board. The staff was super happy,鈥� Salas said. 鈥淭hey were sad because she was leaving but they were happy because she was finally going home, especially the mom.鈥�
Salas recalled the staff鈥檚 mix of joy and sadness as they loaded the patient, excited for her long-awaited return home. At the airport, they joked with the pilot before the paramedic fist-bumped them goodbye. The pilot gave a small salute and that was the last they saw of them.
Salas recalled that he and Benitez watched the plane take off, soaring overhead about ten minutes later. Shortly after, around 6 p.m., they heard reports of a massive fire on Cottman Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia, roughly three miles from the airport. It wasn鈥檛 long before they learned that the Learjet 55 had crashed, triggering a devastating explosion.
鈥淟ater on, our boss calls us to tell us that unfortunately, it was our patient that we just loaded,鈥� Salas said. 鈥淚t was like a punch in the gut. We were just interacting with them. Joking.鈥�
All six people who were aboard the Jet Rescue Air Ambulance were killed. In addition, one person on the ground who was in a car was killed and 19 others were injured in the crash.
