On Thursday, in federal court in Fort Worth, some of the families of the 346 people killed in two plane crashes involving Boeing 737 Max jets will get a chance to speak out about the impact of the tragedy.
Among them is Michael Stumo, who lost his 24-year-old daughter Samya Stumo.
“She was charismatic. She was beautiful. She was very family oriented and very smart,” Stumo said.
According to Stamo, Samuya taught himself to read and write at the age of three and was raising pigs on the family farm by the age of seven. When she was nine years old, she was driving a tractor. And when she was 14, Stumo’s only daughter entered college.
Ultimately, Samya attended the University of Copenhagen School of Global Health before returning to the United States.
In March 2019, she headed to East Africa to set up a nonprofit clinic.
“She texted us that she had just arrived in Addis Ababa and was waiting for her flight to Nairobi. ‘Speak now.'” And that’s the last I heard from her. Stumo said.
Samya was one of 157 people killed when a Boeing 737 Max-8 plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Ethiopia, just months after a similar crash that killed 189 people in Indonesia.
Boeing subsequently obtained immunity from criminal prosecution in both cases as part of a plea bargain with the Department of Justice.
But with Boeing facing felony criminal charges Thursday in federal court in Fort Worth, Stumo and other families around the world argue that the agreement “clearly violated their rights as victims.” wax.
According to former federal prosecutor Matthew Yarbrough, an attorney who was not involved in the case, the situation is almost unprecedented.
“This is unusual. It’s rarely seen. Usually when you think about criminal charges, it’s about individuals who are convicted and go to jail,” Yarbrough said.
Boeing declined to comment on Wednesday. In November, it said it would oppose any efforts to reopen the agreement, calling it “unprecedented, unworkable and unfair.” also mentioned.
The company’s CEO, Dave Calhoun, spoke to CNBC today.
“My reaction to the bereaved family is always the same. It just breaks my heart. I think we can all imagine how hard and difficult it can be. Any hearing they want to express their opinion. is fine with me,” said Calhoun. For the entire Boeing franchise, the company and the industry, it is a reminder of how important safety is to all of us and how important it is to stay ahead of it, and that’s how we think. Not a topic I’m qualified to talk about. ”
