Deadly Driving Lesson Sees 3 Generations of One Family Wiped Out After Car Plunges Into Rhode Island River

A driving lesson turned into a tragedy on Monday after the vehicle plunged into a Rhode Island river resulting in the death of a woman, her daughter, and her granddaughter. What exactly led up to the crash is currently unknown but police don’t suspect foul play.

Pawtucket Police Department responded to reports that a vehicle had been submerged in water on Sunday, June 28. They resumed their search around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, June 29th, reports PEOPLE. The search took place near the 100 block of Taft Street with crews combing the area for several hours before finally finding the car beneath the water with the bodies of the three people still inside.

The victims were identified by and were revealed to be three generations of the same family: 45-year-old Floridalma Arceno, her daughter, 22-year-old Linora Sucely Gomez, and Floridalma’s 2-year-old granddaughter, Ana Sofia Garcia Gomez. Josue Gomez, husband of Floridalma Arceno, was the one to identify the bodies.

A driving lesson gone wrong

Josue Gomez stated that the accident occurred while Arceno was teaching their daughter, Linora, how to drive on Sunday. His wife had spoken to him over the phone prior to the crash and moments before the tragic disaster claiming that the brakes had failed. She was heard saying, “It won’t brake, it won’t brake.” Gomez said “It was the last thing she said to me.”

He rushed to the boat ramp but by that point the vehicle was already under the water. A bystander with a jet ski also tried to help but was not able to reach the family. Meanwhile, another bystander called the police with officers arriving on scene within three minutes.

Despite the fast response, officers struggled to locate the vehicle and the search went well into the next day when the car and the three bodies were finally found. Investigators have chalked the death up to being “a tragic accident.” There was no indication of foul play and a preliminary report suggests that the car was functioning as it should.

Police state that the brakes were working

According to Pawtucket Detective Sergeant Paul Trout, 22-year-old Linora Sucely Gomez was behind the wheel of the vehicle when it crashed. However, the sergeant also confirmed that the brakes had in fact been working which raises questions over exactly what caused the crash and why Arceno had said they weren’t. Nonetheless, the authorities seem confident that it was nothing more than an accident.

The bodies of the three victims have since been transported to the Rhode Island Office of the State Medical Examiners for further examination.

(Featured image: NBC 10 WJAR, YouTube)

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