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Boeing, a popular aircraft manufacturer, is facing recent lawsuits concerning the 2019 crash of Ethiopian Airways flight ET302 that killed 157 people. Attorneys for the victims’ families argue the victims suffered pain or injuries before the plane crashed and whether surviving family members are entitled to compensation for that suffering.

The incident has been described as a six-minute rollercoaster that led to a high-speed, fatal nosedive. No passengers survived.

Calculating Victims’ Pain and Suffering

Both parties’ attorneys have difficulty deciding whether compensation should be awarded to these victims. Boeing lawyers have argued that any pain and suffering the crash victims may have felt before impact is irrelevant when calculating payment. Lawyers have also said that under Illinois law, family members can only be awarded damages for their grief—not how much the decedent suffered.

Both parties had hired expert witnesses to discuss whether victims suffered pain or injuries before the plane crashed. Boeing attorneys have argued that crash victims died instantaneously on impact, and their brains would not have had time to process pain signals. On the other hand, the families’ attorneys have addressed different physical and psychological possibilities, stating that the victims knew they would die and whether unbelted passengers would have hit the ceiling as the plane fell. In response, Boeing has said that these possibilities are speculative and that no substantial evidence shows that anyone suffered any pain or injuries before impact.

Boeing Avoids Paying Potential Punitive Damages

As the legal battle continued between Boeing and the victims’ families of the tragic aviation accident, the aircraft company admitted responsibility for the crash in 2021. Boeing acknowledged their fault as a deal with plaintiffs’ attorneys to remove potential punitive damages from the lawsuits. The company has also discussed in court filings that evidence about victims’ suffering would confuse the jury, possibly leading to big awards equivalent to punitive damages.

Reach Out to a Wrongful Death Attorney

If your loved one was killed in an accident, you might be able to receive compensation for funeral expenses, lost income, and other financial hardships. While the death of a loved one is not something you can change, filing a wrongful death claim can provide compensation and financial stability for your loved one’s family. Contact The Law Offices of R.F. Wittmeyer, Ltd. to learn more about what our attorneys can do for your wrongful death case.