NEWBURYPORT, MASS. (WHDH) - A woman pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of negligent motor vehicle homicide after authorities say she was texting moments before she plowed into a family of three as they rode their bicycles along a road in Ipswich.
Ryane Linehan, 45, had her license revoked for 15 years after she pleaded guilty in Newburyport District Court to fatally striking 58-year-old George Norris in March 2020. George’s wife, Amy Norris, and his 19-year-old son, Jack, were also seriously injured in the crash.
“George was unconscious and had tubes and wires all over him,” Amy told the court while delivering a victim impact statement. “He was barely recognizable. He died the next morning.”
Emergency crews responding to a report of a crash on Topsfield Road around 2:10 p.m. on March 26 learned Linehan was behind the wheel of a Kia Soul that had collided with the family, according to the Ipswich Police Department.
“That day, I not only lost my husband and companion, I lost my very best friend,” Amy added.
Prosecutors say Linehan was texting and that she told detectives she suffered a medical episode before hitting the family.
Linehan remained at the scene after the crash and was said to be cooperative with investigators.
“This isn’t someone who blissfully went about her life after this accident,” said David Yannetti, Linehan’s attorney. “She is a broken woman. She is a mess.”
A judge sentenced Linehan to an 18-month suspended jail sentence, six months of home confinement, and three years of probation.
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