SOMERSET — A drunk driver going the wrong way on Veterans Memorial Bridge caused a collision late Christmas night that killed two people and left three others injured, with Massachusetts State Police charging the man with manslaughter and other offenses.
Massachusetts State Troopers from the Dartmouth Barracks responded to the westbound side of the bridge, part of Route 6, at 11:10 p.m. Monday after reports of a crash involving a 2023 Land Rover SUV traveling east in the westbound lanes.
The Land Rover, registered in New York, collided with a 2019 Honda Accord and a 2014 Infiniti QX50.
The driver of the Infiniti, a 73-year-old man from Dighton, and a juvenile male passenger were pronounced dead at the hospital.
A 68-year-old woman from Dighton, who was also in the Infiniti, is in critical condition.
The names of the victims are not being released at this time.
The occupants of the Honda, two young women from Taunton, sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The wrong-way driver, 41-year-old Adam M. Gauthier of New York City, is under State Police guard at Rhode Island Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Charges against Gauthier include motor vehicle homicide while under the influence, manslaughter, and other related offenses.
An arraignment may occur at the hospital, pending decisions by medical and court officials.
The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case.
State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the State Police Detective Unit for Bristol County are investigating the crash, with assistance from the Fall River and Somerset Fire Departments.
The collision resulted in a four-hour closure of the bridge’s westbound lanes.
