A judge will hear evidence on Thursday to determine whether Swissair can be held responsible for psychological harm suffered by a former sailor from Nova Scotia who helped in the recovery of bodies after the 1998 crash.

Lorne Joudrey is suing the airline, saying he suffered severe mental and emotional distress from working for 11 days on the recovery after Flight 111 crashed into St. Margaret's Bay on Sept. 2, 1998.

Two hundred and twenty-nine people were killed in the crash.

Lorne Joudrey (CP file photo)

Joudrey blames the airline for negligence causing the crash.

Investigators concluded that a spark in the cockpit wiring ignited surrounding flammable material and led to the crash.

The investigation found the flammability standards of the material used in the cockpit were inadequate and contributed to the spread of the fire.

Joudrey, who led one of the recovery teams from HMCS Preserver, said he has experienced post-traumatic stress and depression because of the ordeal of recovering bodies.

He said the experience also cost him his family and his job.

Joudrey was a master seaman working as a steward at the time of the crash. HMCS Preserver was the first military ship on the scene.

"I was in charge of one group and we picked through plane wreckage and had to take out all the skin, any kind of body material that was entangled in the wreckage," he told CBC News.

Joudrey said he wasn't affected by the experience until 30 days later.

But "when it hit, it hit," he said.

He said one day, a military doctor went into his office and found Joudrey curled up in the corner with no idea of who he was.

He said he suffered panic attacks and talked about the time he became sick from just the smell of jet fuel.

"I remember driving by a year later – driving by the Halifax airport – [and] having to pull over for just vomiting all over my vehicle – just from that quick whiff of that smell again," he said.

After two years of therapy, Joudrey was medically discharged from the service. His wife and two children left him two years later.

Joudrey is suing the airline for duty of care and is seeking compensation for what he says the crash cost him.