Pain and Terror Felt by Passengers Before Boeing Max Crashed Can Be Considered, Judge Rules

Candles are lit on a memorial wall during an anniversary memorial service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 8, 2020, to remember those who died when Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302, a Boeing 737 Max, crashed shortly after takeoff on March 10, 2019, killing all 157 on board. Mulugeta Ayene/AP Photo

Families of passengers who died in the crash of a Boeing 737 Max in Ethiopia can seek damages for the pain and terror suffered by victims in the minutes before the plane flew nose-down into the ground, a federal judge has ruled.

The ruling means that lawyers for the families will be able to call experts to testify about the victims’ pain and suffering before the 2019 crash, which killed everyone on board.