Judge approves settlement in fatal Ipswich crash

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Julie Manganis, The Salem News, Beverly, Mass.
·2 min read
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Feb. 27—IPSWICH — Calling it "obviously a very, very sad case," a Newburyport Superior Court judge on Friday approved a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit against a driver who struck and killed an Ipswich man and seriously injured the man's wife and son last year in Ipswich.

George Norris, 58, was killed when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Ryane Linehan, 43, while he and his wife and son were bicycling on Topsfield Road back on March 26, 2020.

Police say Linehan was texting while driving when she struck all three riders and charged her with negligent vehicular homicide, using an electronic device while driving and failing to stay within marked lanes. Linehan has pleaded not guilty to the charge. A hearing in that criminal case is currently set for April 7 in Ipswich District Court in Newburyport.

Friday's settlement came in a separate civil lawsuit filed by Norris' family.

In November, Norris' widow, Amy Norris, and their son, Jack, who were both seriously injured in the crash, reached an agreement with Linehan and her auto insurance company, Quincy Mutual, to settle a wrongful death lawsuit for the value of Linehan's policy, a total of $500,000.

The funds that are left after medical bills and lawyer's fees will be divided among Amy Norris, Jack Norris, and George Norris' two adult children from his prior marriage, George Norris III and Samantha Norris, according to court papers.

In his motion to approve the settlement, Shawn O'Rourke, the lawyer for Amy and Jack Norris, said there was insufficient coverage to cover all of the claims in the case, including compensation for George Norris' lost income over what likely would have been another decade of employment.

The lawyer convinced medical providers to accept roughly half of what had been billed for medical care for the family in the aftermath of the crash. The attorneys in the case also agreed to reduce their fees in the case.

Newburyport Superior Court Judge John "Jack" Lu thanked the attorneys for their willingness to accept a lesser fee, 25%, in order to leave the family with more funds.

Courts reporter Julie Manganis can be reached at 978-338-2521, by email at jmanganis@salemnews.com or on Twitter at @SNJulieManganis.

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