Families of Canadians killed in Ethiopian Airlines crash file lawsuit
Posted Apr 29, 2019 10:20 am.
Last Updated Apr 29, 2019 4:17 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The families of Canadians killed in the Ethiopian Airlines crash last month have launched a lawsuit against plane maker Boeing.
Lawyers in Chicago have filed the suit on behalf of a Brampton, Ont., family that lost six members and a man who lost his Hamilton-based wife and three young children.
Paul Njodoge of Hamilton lost his wife and three children when the 737 MAX 8 went down six minutes after takeoff.
“Those six minutes will forever be embedded in my mind,” he said through tears. “I was not there to help them. I couldn’t save them. It was up to Boeing and the others in charge to save them. We plead for a safe flight.”
All 157 people on board Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 were killed when the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi crashed on March 10.
Lawyers for the families behind the lawsuit allege Boeing was blinded by greed as it rushed its 737 Max 8 jets to market, claiming the company put profits over safety.
“My wife and I had many plans for our family,” Njodoge said. “To see our children lead fulfilling and successful lives. But instead, I’m left with nothing, without a home. Because I have no home to go to.”
The families have also filed a claim against the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, alleging the regulator enabled the plane’s rush to market.
The allegations have not been proven in court.