Woman dies following Christmas night crash
Husband and grandson died earlier in the week
Days after an alleged drunk, wrong-way driver killed her husband and teenage grandson, a Seekonk woman has died from injuries she suffered in the car crash late Christmas night.
Donna Arruda, 68, died Friday at Rhode Island Hospital, where she had been in critical condition, following the crash late Monday night on the Somerset side of Veteran’s Memorial Bridge, according to Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III.
The suspect, Adam Gauthier, 41, of New York City, now faces three counts each of manslaughter while operating under the influence and motor vehicle homicide-OUI liquor. These are in addition to original charges of OUI-liquor with serious bodily injury, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and driving the wrong way on a state highway.
Gauthier, a former Somerset resident, is being held in lieu of $100,000 cash bail. A judge set the status Tuesday during an arraignment in which the suspect appeared from his hospital bed at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford.
Arruda’s 15-year-old grandson Jacoby was pronounced dead at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River shortly after arriving late Monday night. Her 73-year-old husband Floriano Arruda died Tuesday morning at Rhode Island Hospital.
“This is a terrible tragedy, especially when it occurred on Christmas night,” Quinn said in a release Tuesday. “My heart grieves for the victims and their family for their terrible loss.”
Gauthier, who suffered injuries considered not life threatening, is being treated at St. Luke’s Hospital. He is set to next appear in Fall River District Court for an initial pretrial hearing on January 9. Authorities arrested Gauthier shortly after the crash.
Initial investigation findings indicated Gauthier was driving a 2023 Land Rover SUV easterly on the westbound side of Veterans Memorial Bridge in Somerset, part of Route 6, around 11:10 Monday night.
While crossing the bridge, Gauthier allegedly struck a 2014 Infiniti QX50 SUV being driven by Arrudas head on, according to Quinn’s office. Floriano Arruda
had been driving the car while Donna was in the front passenger seat and Jacoby in the rear passenger seat, the office said.
A third vehicle, a 2019 Honda Accord sustained front-end damage during the incident. The driver and passenger of the Accord, both young adult women from Taunton, suffered minor injuries, the office said.
The investigation of the facts and circumstances of the crash is being conducted by State Police-Dartmouth Barracks, State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and State Police Detective Unit for Bristol County.