Shai Gold, a representative of Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, confirmed the tragic news. “She fought quite a lot to survive, and unfortunately this tragedy on the way home,” Gold said. The young girl, who was treated at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia, was being brought back to her home in Mexico with her mother when the accident happened.
The Young Girl’s Journey
According to Gold, the girl was sponsored by a third-party charity to undergo life-saving treatment in the U.S. “All I can say is the patient was sponsored by a third-party charity to undergo life-saving treatment in the US,” Gold stated. “She did her course of care. She was going home.”
The child’s mother, a doctor, and the rest of the crew were also on board. Shriners Children’s Philadelphia confirmed the heartbreaking news, saying in 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.” The facility also noted, “Because of patient privacy concerns, we cannot say any more about the patient and her family at this time.”
Eyewitness Accounts and Local Reactions
It produced a massive explosion that could be seen from miles away. Eyewitness accounts have described the crash as “Earthquakish.” One witness said to WPVI, “The sky lit up, and I pulled over and it was just real bad around it. It lit up the whole sky.” It happened in a residential area some three miles away from the airport, with Philly Mayor Cherelle Parker confirming the tragedy.
City Councilman Mike Driscoll said on Twitter that “mass casualties” were reported, noting that first responders’ needs and the needs of the families affected by the disaster were still uppermost in people’s minds.
As authorities are working to establish the cause of the crash, they are offering support to the bereaved.