Only One Survives: Tragedy Claims Accomplished Groff-Saini Family In Upstate NY

Photo: ABC News via AP

India-West News Desk

WESTON, MA – A devastating plane crash in upstate New York on April 12 claimed the lives of six people, including four members of the Groff-Saini family from here. The only surviving immediate family member is Anika Groff, a high school senior, who was not on the flight.

The victims included Dr. Michael Groff, a leading neurosurgeon and executive director of neuroscience at Rochester Regional Health; his wife, Dr. Joy Saini, a urogynecologist and founder of Boston Pelvic Health and Wellness; and their two older children, Karenna and Jared Groff. Also on board were Karenna’s boyfriend, James Santoro, and Jared’s partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte.

The family was en route to the Catskills for a joint celebration of Karenna’s birthday and Passover when their private plane crashed in Copake, near the Massachusetts border. The flight had taken off from Westchester County Airport and was airborne for less than an hour before going down in a muddy field, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Dr. Groff, who was piloting the plane, had extensive aviation experience. He was also an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and had previously led the neurosurgery spine division at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. At the time of the crash, he was pursuing an executive MBA at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Dr. Saini, his wife, was known for her compassionate care and surgical expertise, and trained at the University of Pittsburgh. She was a respected member of the Newton-Wellesley Hospital staff.

Their daughter Karenna, an MIT graduate and former NCAA Woman of the Year, had recently begun a neurosurgery residency at NYU, following in her father’s footsteps. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she co-founded openPPE, a nonprofit that developed protective gear for essential workers. Her boyfriend, James Santoro, also an MIT alum, worked in finance and was reportedly planning to propose this summer.

Jared Groff, a 2022 Swarthmore College graduate, worked as a paralegal and was preparing to attend law school. His partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, also a Swarthmore alum, had plans to begin her legal studies at Harvard Law School in the fall.

The Groff-Saini family was deeply accomplished and widely respected in their fields and community. Anika Groff now faces the unimaginable task of continuing without her parents and siblings.