A wrongful death lawsuit against a Carroll restaurant has been settled out of court. According to court records filed Aug. 31, the Estate of Linda Smith and her spouse, Billy Gene Carrick, voluntarily dismissed the case with prejudice after reaching a $100,000 settlement agreement more than a year before it was scheduled to go to trial. The original petition was filed in April earlier this year and claimed Dos Rancheros, doing business as Rancho Grande, was liable for the May 2017 death of 57-year-old Linda Smith of Coon Rapids. Smith had been served alcohol while eating lunch at the restaurant and later died from injuries received in a car accident on Highway 71 about five miles south of Carroll. An autopsy showed Smith had a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .203 percent at the time of the crash. A separate lawsuit filed by the driver of the second vehicle, Corie J. Smith, is still pending in District Court for Carroll County.
