A tragic turn of events unfolds as a car passenger succumbs to severe burns sustained during January's devastating plane crash in Philadelphia.
According to Daily Mail, Dominique Goods-Burke, 34, died on April 27 from burn injuries after the medical transport plane's debris struck her car during the January 31 crash, bringing the total death toll to eight.
The incident claimed the life of her fiancé Steven Dreuitt, 37, who was also in the car with his son when the aircraft debris hit their vehicle. While Dreuitt's son survived the accident, he suffered severe burns. The family had been returning from a shopping trip to Macy's when the tragedy occurred.
The Learjet 55 air ambulance crashed shortly after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport at around 6:10 pm. All six people aboard the aircraft, who were Mexican nationals, died in the explosion.
Among the victims were 11-year-old Valentina Guzman Murillo and her mother, Lizeth Murillo, 31. The young girl had just completed four months of treatment for a serious birth defect affecting her spine at a children's hospital in Philadelphia.
The medical team accompanying them included pilot Alan Alejandro Montoya Perale, co-pilot Josué Juárez of Veracruz, doctor Raúl Meza, and paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla. They were ensuring the child's safe return to Tijuana, Mexico, with a planned stopover in Missouri.
The National Transportation Safety Board's investigation discovered that the plane's voice recorder was malfunctioning before the crash. The device was retrieved from eight feet underground at the impact site.
Meg Hagele, founder of High Point Cafe where Goods-Burke worked as baking supervisor for 10 years, shared memories of her dedicated employee.
According to Hagele, the cafe feels empty without Goods-Burke's presence. Goods-Burke's daughter would often visit after school while her mother finished work.
High Point Cafe's founder expressed her grief:
This place feels really empty and a little haunted. She was an amazing mom, she was an incredible baker, she held this place together. She just ran this ship tight. Her daughter would come after school sometimes, and we would be in the lounge area while she finished up. She was just an incredible part of this family that will never be the same.
The Philadelphia plane crash occurred just two days after a devastating mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, DC. The accident claimed 67 lives, marking it as the deadliest plane crash in the United States in 24 years.
Recent findings suggest that the Black Hawk helicopter pilot maintained an excessive altitude despite warnings from another crew member to descend. The investigation into both incidents continues as authorities work to prevent similar tragedies.
Dominique Goods-Burke, a beloved member of Philadelphia's High Point Cafe family, died on April 27 from burn injuries sustained when debris from a crashed medical transport plane struck her car on January 31. The incident, which occurred on Cottman Avenue, claimed eight lives in total, including her fiancé Steven Dreuitt and six Mexican nationals aboard the aircraft. Goods-Burke leaves behind two children, aged 15 and six, while her funeral is scheduled for May 8, following two months after her late fiancé's celebration of life ceremony.
