Widow of Cuban Killed in Miami Plane Crash Files Lawsuit Against Amazon

The widow of Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo, a 53-year-old Cuban who tragically lost his life in a cargo plane crash operating for Amazon at Miami International Airport, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking accountability for the disaster.

According to Local 10, Yaraisi Santiso Morejón, Rodríguez Naranjo's wife, initiated what is described as the first lawsuit relating to the accident, which took place on Sunday at Miami International Airport.

The lawsuit was lodged in the Circuit Court of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, naming Amazon Inc., Amazon Air Cargo, 21 Air LLC, and other companies involved in the aircraft's operation and leasing, as well as pilots Joseph Carroll and Jaime Felipe Silva Molina, as defendants.

The legal claim alleges several failures that may have led to the crash, including pilot error, insufficient training, and the operation of a 32-year-old aircraft.

These claims are preliminary allegations made in the lawsuit and do not constitute official findings regarding the accident's cause, which remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The law firm Morgan & Morgan, representing the widow, announced on Tuesday that it had taken on her case and was preparing a lawsuit over her husband's death.

Following the formal filing of the lawsuit, attorney Mike Morgan stated that the firm believes the incident was not merely a "freak accident" but a "predictable and preventable disaster."

At the time of the incident, Rodríguez Naranjo was driving a Ford Econoline belonging to Professional Ocean Service Corp., a company providing aircraft cleaning services, when the Boeing 767 operating Amazon Air flight 7598 veered off runway 30 after landing from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

As reported by CBS Miami, the van carried seven workers. The plane struck the van on airport property, breached the perimeter fence, and collided with another vehicle on Northwest 67 Avenue.

According to Local 10, the five deceased were workers of Professional Ocean Service Corp. traveling in the van; two other occupants survived the crash.

The five victims were identified as Cuban nationals, according to 14ymedio's report on Wednesday. The deceased included Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47; Rolando Alemán León, 55; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo, 53.

The New York Times confirmed that Reyes Quevedo, Alemán León, and Pineda were Cuban migrants, while a coworker mentioned on social media that Rodríguez Naranjo and Acosta Fajardo were also Cuban.

"They were five Cubans. They worked with me," stated Eduardo Sangster, a fellow worker, describing them as dedicated individuals.

Earlier, the NTSB provided new insights into the crash, revealing that seven individuals were in the Ford Econoline struck by the plane and that the aircraft also hit a second vehicle after breaching the airport's perimeter.

According to The Associated Press, the Boeing traveled approximately 1,300 feet—about 396 meters—beyond the runway's end before stopping.

The involved aircraft was a 32-year-old Boeing 767 originally built for passenger service and converted to a freighter in 2015. The flight was operated by 21 Air, a North Carolina-based cargo airline.

The NTSB's ongoing investigation will examine the approach, landing, weather conditions, aircraft performance, and other factors that may have contributed to the crash.

Flight recorders are part of the investigation to officially determine what caused the aircraft to veer off the runway. Amazon has stated it is cooperating with authorities and extended its condolences to the victims and their families.