A Rhode Island family is grieving an unimaginable loss after a grandmother, her daughter and her 2-year-old granddaughter drowned when a driving lesson ended with their car sinking into a river.
Floridalma Arceno, 45, was out Sunday evening with her daughter, 22-year-old Linora Sucely Gomez, who was practicing driving. Linora’s 2-year-old daughter, Ana, was also inside the vehicle when it plunged into the Seekonk River in Pawtucket.
Moments before the car disappeared into the water, Arceno made a frantic final call to her husband, Josue Gomez.
Gomez, who is originally from Guatemala, told The Boston Globe that his wife told him the brakes were not working.
“It won’t brake, it won’t brake,” she said, according to Gomez.
“It was the last thing she said to me,” he told the outlet.
After receiving the terrifying call, Gomez ran to a boat ramp near the family’s apartment. But by the time he arrived, the car had already sunk beneath the murky water.
Emergency crews were called to the riverbank around 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Police said the vehicle was quickly pulled under after entering the water.
A bystander on a jet ski tried to help the family, but was not able to reach them, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves told The Boston Globe.
Rescue crews searched into the night for Arceno, Linora and little Ana, but the operation was eventually called off because of poor visibility.
On Monday, a dive team located the vehicle underwater. It was hoisted to shore, wrapped in a tarp and removed from the scene.
The three victims were found dead inside. Their bodies were taken to the state medical examiner’s office.
Gomez watched as crews pulled the vehicle from the water.
“They were good people,” he told The Boston Globe.
He also told WJAR that he was relieved their bodies had been recovered, even though he had not yet been able to see them.
“I feel bad,” Gomez said. “But on one hand, it’s a good thing, but on the other, I know I wouldn’t have those images in my head anymore. I’m sad but I’m happier now that they’ve been found.”
Police have described the incident as a “tragic accident.” Officials said preliminary findings showed the car appeared to be working normally, but they said they could not speculate about what went wrong.
Goncalves said the department’s thoughts remain with the family.
“Our thoughts remain with the family as they navigate this devastating loss, and we ask the community to continue to keep them in their thoughts during this difficult time,” she said.
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien also offered support to the grieving family.
“We will stand with this family in the days and weeks ahead, offering our support however we can, and we ask everyone to keep them, our first responders, and all those affected by this tragedy in their thoughts while respecting the family’s privacy,” he told The Boston Globe.
A GoFundMe has since been created to help the family with funeral costs and other immediate expenses. As of Tuesday morning, it had raised more than $8,000.
“Any donation, no matter the amount, can help ease some of the financial burden while this family grieves,” the fundraiser said.
For Gomez, the final memory is now the desperate call from his wife moments before the car sank, carrying three generations of his family into the river.
