Chicago Jury Awards $29 Million to Family of Lahinch Man Killed in Boeing Crash

A Chicago jury has awarded $29 million in damages to the family of Micheál 'Mick' Ryan, who died in the Boeing 737 MAX crash in March 2019. The plane was headed for Nairobi when it went down near the town of Bishoftu, killing all 157 people on board.

The crash was one of two incidents that killed a total of 346 people and led to a global grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft. Boeing has apologized for the crashes and acknowledged that anti-stall software played a role in both incidents.

Ryan's wife, Naoise Connolly Ryan, had filed a lawsuit against Boeing and was awarded $29 million in damages. The family rejected an earlier offer of $1.4 million from the crash victim fund, with Naoise saying it was 'blood money' and that they were seeking truth and accountability.

Ryan was a senior humanitarian worker for the United Nations who had been based in Rome. He was due to relocate to Italy in March 2019 but died before he could make the move.