Citing ‘insufficient evidence,’ officials said criminal charges will not be filed in an accident in Naples that claimed the life of a popular UPS driver last December.

As a result, Tom Hallett, the lawyer for the family of Shannon Ronan, said he is set to file a civil case against Michael Hanrahan, the Windham man who struck Ronan’s vehicle.

Authorities say Ronan was killed when the UPS truck he was driving was struck from behind by Hanrahan, 43, who was driving his Time Warner Cable pickup truck west on Route 302 in front of Great Northern Docks. Ronan’s truck was stopped waiting to make a left-hand turn and the rear-end collision propelled Ronan’s vehicle into the path of an oncoming tractor-trailer, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. Ronan was killed instantly. The other drivers were not seriously injured.

Hallett, who said he was “surprised and somewhat disturbed” that the Cumberland County district attorney has decided not to press criminal charges against Hanrahan, said he intends to file a civil case against Hanrahan, as well as Time Warner Cable.

In May, nearly six months after the Dec. 15, 2009, accident, the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office decided against pursuing criminal charges against Hanrahan and instead charged him with failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle, a traffic infraction that carries with it a $119 fine. According to Capt. Don Goulet of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Hanrahan is contesting the fine and has a Bridgton District Court date set for Aug. 24 at 1 p.m.

Goulet said the sheriff’s office and district attorney’s office had several discussions before settling on the traffic infraction. According to Assistant District Attorney Angela Cannon, the office “just decided there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges.”

Cannon said Hanrahan was driving his Time Warner truck 6 mph above the speed limit (25 mph) and was looking “down and away” at the time of the impact with Ronan’s UPS truck. She wouldn’t elaborate on what Hanrahan was looking at, but said Hanrahan was not distracted by a cell phone and that he wasn’t texting.

“Though it was a horrible and tragic accident, there just wasn’t enough to rise to the level of a criminal charge,” Cannon said.

Hallett said his own investigation of the accident found that Hanrahan was “inattentive” as he was driving through Naples.

Ronan, who was 44 and had a wife and two children at the time of his death, is still remembered by Naples businesses and residents who enjoyed his kind and outgoing demeanor.

Arlene Stetson, owner of the Augustus Bove House Bed & Breakfast in downtown Naples, said last week that donations cans set out at various Naples businesses had raised about $4,000 for Ronan’s family. She also said she’s hoping to install a bench on the renovated causeway in Ronan’s honor when the Naples Bay Bridge is completed.

“Everybody thought very highly of him,” Stetson said. “It’s the least we can do for him.”