Triple funeral to be held for Somerset family killed in crash on Christmas

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — A triple funeral is planned for the family killed in a wrong-way crash in Somerset on Christmas night.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office said Floriano Arruda, his wife, Donna, and their grandson, Jacoby, were involved in a head-on crash on the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Authorities responded to a 911 call to the crash at 11 p.m.

Adam Gauthier, 41, was driving a Range Rover on Route 6 while crossing the bridge. Authorities said he was drunk and crashed into the Arruda family’s Infiniti SUV.

Gauthier was arrested shortly after the impact.

Emergency crews rushed all of the Arrudas to nearby hospitals.

Jacoby tragically died at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, and his grandparents died in the following days.

Jacoby’s obituary says he was raised by his grandparents after his father, Ryan Arruda, passed away.

The family recently moved to Seekonk. Jacoby was a Seekonk High School Student, and formerly attended Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School.

The community was left shaken by the loss of the student athlete and his grandparents.

The Dighton-Rehoboth Pop Warner football and cheer team wrote on social media over the weekend, “Words cannot describe how heartbroken our DRPW family is for the Arruda family. Such wonderful people. And such a senseless tragedy.”

The Dighton Baseball Softball League also wrote a tribute to the family on social media.

The league wrote that Jacoby’s grandparents were very involved in his games.

“Always with him coaching was his grandfather, Flo. He spent countless hours volunteering his time all in the name of helping our kids become better people. And, of course, there was Donna sitting outside the fence and cheering Jacoby and his teammates on at every game,” the league said in the post.

Gauthier, formerly of Somerset and now lives in New York City, was sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail at his initial arraignment.

New charges of manslaughter while operating under the influence and motor vehicle homicide — OUI of liquor were since filed against him.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office expects Gauthier to be arraigned on the new charges when he is brought in for his scheduled pretrial hearing on the original charges on Jan. 9.

A lawyer representing the victims provided the following statement from the Arruda family:

“On behalf of the Arruda family we want to extend our sincere appreciation for the outpouring of love and support we received in the wake of this tragedy. Our parents were like so many other doting grandparents — selfless in all ways, especially when it came to Jacoby. Our only light in this darkness is that they are all together in peace. Our hope is everyone remembers this tragic event before they consider getting behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. There are too many alternatives in this day and age that can prevent such senseless loss of a kind and beautiful family.”