Orleans town clerk facing lawsuit over pedestrian death

Jan. 23--ORLEANS -- A jury trial in the wrongful death civil case against Cynthia May in the 2014 death of University of Massachusetts Amherst student Hannah Frilot is scheduled for June 5 in Hampshire Superior Court.

May, an Orleans resident and Orleans town clerk, was driving a car that struck Frilot, 20, from behind just after 11 p.m. July 31, 2014, as Frilot walked her bicycle north on North East Street in Amherst with a friend. Frilot, an Arizona resident who was to begin her senior year, was pronounced dead at the scene.

In the civil case, Michael and Michelle Frilot of Scottsdale, Arizona, the parents of Hannah Frilot, are suing May on claims of negligence, wrongful death, conscious pain and suffering of their daughter, punitive damages, emotional distress and loss of consortium. Also in the civil case, the Frilot family is suing Safety Insurance Co. for denying liability when the Frilot family made an initial claim on April 27, 2015, in an automobile policy and an umbrella policy related to the incident.

"We're seeking whatever the jury feels is appropriate," said Springfield attorney Paul Rothschild, who represents the Frilot family.

Springfield attorneys Barry Ryan, representing May, and James Manitsas, representing Safety Insurance, did not respond to requests for comment Friday.

May declined comment on Friday as well. She pleaded guilty July 11 in Hampshire Superior Court to a criminal charge of operating to endanger, and she was placed on probation until Dec. 31, 2020, as part of a plea agreement with special conditions worked out between prosecutors and May's defense attorney. She was originally charged with negligent motor vehicle homicide, which is punishable by up to 2 1/2 years in jail with an accompanying 15-year loss of license.

- Follow Mary Ann Bragg on Twitter: @MaryAnnBraggCCT

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