‘Nowhere for him to go,’ ‘No time to escape.’ Van survivor sues 21 Air, Amazon

Roosevelt Sebastian Perdomo Torres saw the Amazon Prime Boeing 767-300 barreling toward him last Sunday as it overshot the runway at Miami International Airport.

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Perdomo Torres, 27, was one of seven people in a van owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp, a company that cleans planes. The jet, operated by North Carolina-based air-cargo firm 21 Air, smashed into the Ford Econoline van as well as a Toyota Carola SUV after it blew past the runway.

Five of Perdomo Torres’ colleagues were killed. He remains in the intensive-care unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

On Friday, attorneys at Podhurst Orseck filed a negligence lawsuit in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court on his behalf against 21 Air, Amazon and the plane’s pilot and co-pilot.

In the complaint, attorneys say Perdomo Torres watched helplessly as the jet rapidly approached the van.

“There was nowhere for him to go and no time to escape,” attorney Pablo Rojas wrote in the complaint.

The plane hit the van, “leaving it an unrecognizable heap of metal,” Rojas wrote.

Perdomo Torres was ejected from the van and thrown to the ground, breaking his leg, ankle and hand, according to the complaint. He was conscious and tried to stand up, but he was unable, his attorneys say.

“Fighting for his life amid the chaos, Mr. Perdomo Torres attempted to stand, but was unable to sustain his own weight. He was forced to remain on the ground, conscious of his severe injuries, fearing for his life, and fearing for the family members he would leave behind if he perished,” Rojas wrote.

This is the second lawsuit filed in connection with the crash. The widow of the driver of the van, 53-year-old Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, filed a complaint this week against the same parties named in Torres Perdomo’s lawsuit. The sons of Julio Pineda, another member of the cleaning crew, and other family members of the other people who were killed have retained legal counsel. Pineda was 75.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, but has already released information that at least one of the pilots knew the aircraft was coming in too fast before it landed and overran the runway. Flight-recorder data showed the pilots tried in the last seconds to lift off again to attempt to abort the landing and try again, but there was not enough runway left.

Read more ‘Nowhere for him to go,’ ‘No time to escape.’ Van survivor sues 21 Air, Amazon

The plane approached the runway at nearly 207 mph, and when the more than 200,000-pound aircraft hit the two vehicles, it was traveling at around 75 mph, according to the NTSB.

Along with Pineda, the others who died in the van were Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Narajo, 53; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierk Reyes Quevedo, 47. Torres Perdomo and Ridoel Averhoff Diaz, 32, remain hospitalized.

Eugenio Corredor, 79, who was the Toyota driver and the only person in the vehicle, is in critical condition, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Flight-recorder data showed the pilots tried in the last seconds to lift off again to attempt to abort the landing and try again, but there was not enough runway left.

“The loss of life caused by this week’s tragedy weighs heavily on all of us at Amazon. Our hearts continue to be with the families and loved ones of those who were killed, and with the entire Miami-Dade community enduring an unimaginable time. As the NTSB continues its investigation, we remain fully committed to supporting their work and that of all investigating authorities.”

The Miami Herald was unable to reach the pilots named in the suit, Joseph Carroll and Jaime Filipe Silva Molina.

Contact information for 21 Air was unavailable because the company removed all information on its website and replaced it with a statement about the crash from its chief executive officer, Keith Winters:

“We are devastated by the accident involving one of our aircraft in Miami on September 6. Our deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives. Our immediate priorities are supporting those affected, assisting the appropriate authorities, and ensuring that accurate and verified information is communicated as it becomes available.

“We are cooperating fully with the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and local authorities as they investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident. Additional verified information will be posted on this page as it becomes available.”

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This story was originally published September 11, 2026 at 1:31 PM.