A New York City man who drove the wrong way over Somerset’s Veterans Memorial Bridge on Christmas night 2023, killing three members of a Seekonk family, has been sentenced to 12 to 15 years in state prison, closing a case that has gripped the South Coast for months.
Adam Gauthier, 43, a former Somerset resident, pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court and received the 12 to 15 year state prison term, followed by two years of probation, according to court records cited by Fall River Reporter. He had faced multiple charges tied to the crash, including manslaughter while operating under the influence and motor vehicle homicide.
Crash on Veterans Memorial Bridge
Massachusetts State Police say troopers were called to the Veterans Memorial Bridge at about 11:10 p.m. on Dec. 25, 2023, after a Range Rover was seen traveling east in the westbound lanes of Route 6 and then slammed head on into an Infiniti SUV. Six people were taken to nearby hospitals, and investigators from several State Police units and the Bristol County District Attorney’s office processed the scene, according to the Massachusetts State Police.
Victims and aftermath
The crash tore through three generations of one Seekonk family. The victims were identified in media reports as 73-year-old Floriano Arruda, his 68-year-old wife, Donna Arruda, and their 15-year-old grandson, Jacoby Arruda. Jacoby was pronounced dead at Charlton Memorial Hospital on Christmas night, Floriano died the next morning at Rhode Island Hospital, and Donna died of her injuries on Dec. 29, according to the Boston Globe.
Prosecutors, defense and evidence
Prosecutors say Gauthier admitted to drinking alcohol that evening, and officers reported classic signs of intoxication. A police report quoted by the Boston Globe stated that there was “a smell of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his mouth the more he spoke.” Defense attorneys, for their part, argued that the bridge was foggy that night and claimed Gauthier’s crash injuries interfered with his performance on field sobriety tests, according to court coverage in Fall River Reporter.
Sentence and legal context
Gauthier’s 12 to 15 year prison term sits within the Massachusetts sentencing range for manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle, which sets a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years behind bars. That range is drawn from state statute, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles’ own guidance treats fatal motor vehicle convictions as disqualifying events that can trigger long license suspensions or even lifetime revocation under the statute and RMV rules…