Family killed in Christmas crash in Somerset honored in triple funeral

FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — A triple funeral will be held for a family tragically killed in a crash in Somerset on Christmas night.

Funeral services will be held on Friday for loved ones to say goodbye to the Arruda family — longtime couple Floriano and Donna, and their 15-year-old grandson, Jacoby, who they lovingly raised.

Calling hours were held for the family on Thursday.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office said the crash happened on the Somerset side of the Veterans Memorial Bridge at 11 p.m. on Christmas.

Prosecutors said Adam Gauthier, the driver that hit the Arruda’s Infiniti SUV head-on, is facing manslaughter while operating under the influence and motor vehicle homicide OUI charges.

The Arruda family had recently moved to Seekonk.

Tributes poured out from those left shaken by the loss of the family.

Jacoby was remembered by the Dighton Baseball Softball League as an athlete who was “as good a person off the field was he was a player on it.”

“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.