Grandma made frantic final phone call to husband as she, her daughter, 22, and toddler granddaughter all drowned in CAR during driving lesson that went tragically wrong

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:13, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 15:13, 30 June 2026 A grandmother made a frantic final phone call to her husband as she, their daughter and granddaughter drowned in a car after a driving lesson ended with them sinking into a river.  Floridalma Arceno, 45, called her husband Josue Gomez after the vehicle their daughter Linora Sucely Gomez, 22, was practicing in plunged into the Seekonk River in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on Sunday.  Arceno had taken their daughter out for a driving lesson, with her 2-year-old granddaughter Ana also inside the vehicle when according to her final call the brakes stopped working.  Gomez, who is originally from Guatemala, told The Boston Globe that Arceno told him 'it won't brake, it won't brake', adding: 'It was the last thing she said to me.' A distraught Gomez ran down to a boat ramp near their apartment but the car was already submerged in the murky water.  The three generations were found dead inside the vehicle after a lengthy search saw it pulled from the depths on Monday, in what police described as a 'tragic accident'. Emergency teams were called to the banks of the river at around 7:30pm on Sunday night, with police saying it was quickly taken under after going into the water.  The vehicle is seen being pulled from the water after the horrifying incident on Sunday night  Josue Gomez, seen here, said his wife called him to say that the brakes of the car were not working, it was the last he heard from her Police Chief Tina Goncalves told the Globe that a bystander on a jet ski tried to help out the family but couldn't get to them.  Rescue teams worked into the night looking for the three before calling off their efforts due to poor visibility.  On Monday a dive team located the car and it was hoisted to shore, wrapped in a tarp, and removed from the scene. Officials said the bodies of the three were removed and taken to the state medical examiner's office.  Gomez watched as the vehicle was taken out, telling the outlet: 'They were good people.' He also told WJAR that he was glad their bodies had been recovered, but that he had not yet been able to see them.  Gomez added: 'I feel bad. 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 said that preliminary findings found that the car was working as normal and that they could not speculate what went wrong.  The Seekonk River is seen here, the boat ramp that the family crashed through and into the water is pictured also Goncalves added: '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.'  Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien told The Globe: '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.' A GoFundMe has since been set up to aid the family, which as of Tuesday morning had already raised over $8,000.  A post to it said: 'Donations will help this family with expenses they may need from funeral costs to any other immediate costs they may face in the difficult days ahead.  'Any donation, no matter the amount, can help ease some of the financial burden while this family grieves.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.