Amazon Jet Crash Victim's Wife Learned He Died Online After His Texts Went Unread Following Miami Crash

The wife of a man killed when an Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport found a news report about the crash after messages to her husband went unread, according to an attorney for the family.

Yaraisi Santiso Morejon was expecting Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo to return home on 6 September after his work shift when he failed to arrive, according to family attorney Jorge Garcia. Naranjo, 53, was among five people killed when Amazon Air Flight 7598 overran Runway 30 while landing at the airport and struck a van he was driving.

Wife Tried to Reach Her Husband

Naranjo had been working a 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift for Professional Ocean Service Corp. and normally returned home around 3 p.m. When he failed to arrive, Morejon started sending him messages, according to Garcia, an attorney representing the family.

The messages remained unread, increasing Morejon's concern as she tried to establish what had happened. The Associated Press reported that she eventually found a news report about the crash.

Garcia, a family friend, said Morejon eventually realised that the incident could have involved her husband. She then began seeking information about his whereabouts, including contacting hospitals, according to the family's account of the aftermath.

Naranjo Among Five Victims

Speaking during an online conference, Garcia described Naranjo as a 'very hardworking man, very loved by his wife, very loved by his son, and as you can imagine what they've gone through is really unimaginable.' Naranjo had moved from Cuba to the United States in 2011 and had worked multiple jobs to support his family, Garcia said. He and Morejon have a son.

Professional Ocean Service Corp, an industrial cleaning and maintenance company based in Miami, has over 15 years of experience in cleaning planes. The other people killed, who were also travelling in the company van, were identified as Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.

Two other workers travelling in the van survived but were taken to hospital, while another person in a vehicle struck during the crash was also seriously injured.

After the crash, the company issued a statement describing the employees as 'far more than the people who work beside us each day, they are family, and they are deeply loved.'

Widow Files Wrongful-Death Lawsuit

Morejon has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Amazon, Amazon Air Cargo, 21 Air LLC, other companies connected to the aircraft and its operation, and the two pilots. The lawsuit alleges that multiple failures contributed to Naranjo's death. The allegations have not been proven in court.

The National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate the crash. Preliminary data indicates that one pilot warned that the aircraft was travelling too fast during the landing approach, while investigators continue to examine what led to the runway overrun.

The NTSB has not yet determined the official cause. Amazon has said it is cooperating with the investigation and expressed sympathy to the victims' families. The investigation remains ongoing.