Man charged in double fatal DUI crash arraigned

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — The New York City man who was charged with DUI in connection to a car crash that killed two people in Somerset was arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

Adam Gauthier, 41, formerly of Somerset, was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail after he was arraigned from his hospital bed at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford.

According to prosecutors, Gauthier was arrested shortly after the crash around 11 p.m. and is charged with two counts of manslaughter while driving under the influence, two counts of motor vehicle homicide while driving under the influence of liquor with serious bodily injury, reckless driving and driving the wrong way on a state highway.

Massachusetts State Police in Dartmouth received a 911 call at 11 p.m. Christmas night about a crash on a bridge in Somerset involving a wrong-way driver.

Investigators on the scene learned that Gauthier was driving a Range Rover eastbound in the westbound lane on Route 6 while crossing the bridge. While on the bridge, police said Gauthier struck an Infiniti SUV head-on.

The Infiniti was driven by 73-year old Floriano Arruda, of Seekonk. Floriano’s wife, Donna, 68, also of Seekonk, was in the front passenger seat and their 15-year-old grandson, Jacoby, also of Seekonk, was also in the back seat.

All three of the Arrudas were taken to nearby hospitals, where Jacoby and Floriano were both pronounced dead. Donna Arruda remains in critical condition.

A third car also sustained damage in the crash, the driver and passenger of that car were also treated for minor injuries.

After he was arrested, Gauthier was taken to St. Luke’s for treatment of non life-threatening injuries. He is set to appear in Fall River District court for a pre-trial hearing on Jan. 9.