After battling for her life in the hospital for three months, 34-year-old Dominique Goods-Burke, a loving mother of three, passed away on April 27. She was the eighth person killed in a tragic Philadelphia air ambulance crash. Her fiancé was killed instantly and her young son was severely burned when debris from a Learjet 55 fell onto her car on January 31. Federal investigators are still trying to figure out what went wrong, and Dominique’s tragic death serves as a reminder of the very real toll that aviation accidents take on regular families.
Mother Passes Away After Three-Month Battle
Dominique Goods-Burke fought for her life at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital for three months following the catastrophic plane crash. The young mother was traveling with her fiancé, Steven Dreuitt, and her son when debris from the crashing medical transport plane struck their vehicle, causing it to burst into flames.
More alarming video from the plane crash in Philadelphia!
Listening to the scanner, and it’s wild. “Mass casualty” event.
Many first responders on scene pic.twitter.com/x1eUvZuym0
— 🇺🇸ProudArmyBrat (@leslibless) February 1, 2025
Dreuitt died at the scene while Goods-Burke and her son suffered severe injuries that required immediate hospitalization. Her son continues to recover from extensive burn injuries. At the same time, the community mourns the loss of a woman described by colleagues as having a “beautiful spirit and heart full of love.”
Crash Devastated Local Neighborhood
The January 31 crash of the Learjet 55 air ambulance claimed the lives of all six people aboard the aircraft. The medical transport plane went down in a residential area of Northeast Philadelphia near Roosevelt Mall, damaging or destroying more than a dozen homes and injuring approximately two dozen people on the ground.
A "plane crash" in Philadelphia has claimed the lives of six people, including two doctors, two pilots, a patient, and a family member.
The aircraft had just taken off from Northeast Philadelphia.
Reports of body parts scattered at the scene.
The plane is reportedly a Jet… pic.twitter.com/GkyTCny4B1
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) February 1, 2025
Federal investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash, which has now claimed eight lives in total. The incident represents one of the deadliest aviation disasters to strike a residential Philadelphia neighborhood in recent memory, leaving physical and emotional scars across the community.
Community Remembers Dedicated Mother and Colleague
Goods-Burke was remembered by her employers at High Point Café as an integral part of their work family. Her colleagues described her as not just an employee but a steadfast presence who “held this place together” and “ran this ship tight” while balancing her responsibilities as a devoted mother to her three children.
“Dominique was a fighter until the end of her 3-month battle with her injuries and related health concerns. We will miss her kind smile, beautiful spirit, and heart full of love. Please keep her family in mind as they navigate these next steps.”
A funeral service for Goods-Burke has been scheduled for Thursday as family, friends, and community members prepare to say their final goodbyes. The tragedy has united the community in grief while raising concerns about aviation safety in densely populated urban areas, where the consequences of accidents can be particularly devastating for innocent bystanders.