The widower of Carlos Arturo Acosta Fajardo, one of the five Cubans who lost their lives in the Amazon plane crash at Miami International Airport, went to the funeral home with his husband's ashes.
In statements gathered by Univision Miami during the funeral services, Fernández described his partner as "an exceptional person, so special, so unique," and summed up his sorrow in a phrase that has been repeated since then: "He took my life; I died along with him."
On the day of the incident, Fernández became alarmed because Acosta did not call him upon arriving at work, something he always did.
The couple met in Cuba six years ago and had been married for three years.
The blow was twofold: Carlos Acosta Fajardo celebrated his birthday on September 11, five days after the tragedy.
"No birthday to celebrate, just the farewell of a dearly loved one," Fernández said through tears.
When recalling her husband, she added, "He is what I'm missing. There's not much more to say, I love him."
Acosta had been a mechanical engineer in Cuba and had new professional projects in the United States: he wanted to study aviation engineering.
His family described him, in a statement released by his lawyers, as "an extraordinary human being, a loving husband, a devoted son, a cherished friend, and a valued colleague."
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her parents in Cuba.
Attorney Jorge P. Gutiérrez Jr., who represents Nelson Fernández, announced that he will file legal actions: "Next week we expect to file a lawsuit," he stated during the funeral services.
Acosta was an employee of Professional Ocean Service Corporation, an airport cleaning company. On September 6, he was in a van with six other colleagues after finishing their work shift when the Boeing 767-300 of flight Amazon Air 7598, operated by 21 Air, overshot runway 30 at the airport, crossed the perimeter fence, and collided with the vehicle.
The five fatalities, all of Cuban origin, are: Javierky Reyes Quevedo, Rolando Alemán León, Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo, Julio C. Pineda, and Acosta Fajardo himself.
Two people survived: Ridoel Averhoff Díaz, who is in critical condition, and Roosevelt Sebastián Perdomo Torres, who is in stable condition.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is keeping the formal investigation into the accident open; preliminary data from the black boxes suggest a possible unsuccessful attempt at a go-around, with the throttles at full power seconds before impact and no deployment of aerodynamic brakes or thrust reversers.
At least two civil lawsuits have been filed before this Monday: one by the widow of Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo and the other by survivor Roosevelt Perdomo Torres.
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