Kenyan Families of Ethiopian Airlines Plane Crash to File Case against Boeing in the US

Some Kenyan families of Ethiopian Airlines plane crash victims are set to sue US aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

Eight families have hired a consortium of lawyers as they seek to have the plane maker held liable for the deaths of 36 Kenyans.

The development comes amid reports that pilots of the ill-fated jet initially used all Boeing emergency procedures before the aircraft went down six minutes after taking off, killing all the 157 people on board.

Among the lawyers who will represent the families is Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata and US-based aviation law expert Carlos Velasquez.

“If you can prove negligence that is it, when you look at preliminary reports it appears the crash and the one that happened in Asia there is a correlation and we can use this against the manufacturer,” says Kang’ata.

“As the case progresses, we will be able to make progress but DNA results is not a deterrent as the’re logs to show who was in that plane,” says US attorney Laban Opande.

The lawyers say they will mainly rely on evidence from the ongoing probe into the crash and also make reference to Lion Air plane accident involving the same aircraft six months ago.

“This is a path we follow in ensuring that those who are liable …like the case against the manufacturer and those involved in the case,” says Carlos Vesaquez.

Cases against Boeing will be heard in a Federal Court in Chicago, where the company has its headquarters.

The cases are expected to take a period of between 18 months and 30 months.