UMVA has learned that a shocking incident of negligence has resulted in the tragic death of 21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas in Brazil, after workers allegedly forgot to attach her safety rope before pushing her off a 40-meter bridge.
The horrifying accident occurred on Saturday morning at Ponte do Esqueleto, near Limeira, Sao Paulo, where Rodrigues de Freitas was participating in a rope-jumping activity. Footage circulating on social media shows the young woman wearing a helmet and what appears to be a harness, but the rope attached to the bridge was coiled on the ground, not connected to her or her harness.
An off-duty nurse, Rayza Dias, who reached Rodrigues de Freitas on the ground after the plunge, revealed that the young woman was still alive and even spoke to her, saying, “I have a habit of joking and saying, ‘Nobody dies on my shift.’ And I told her, ‘Duda (Eduarda), nobody dies on my shift.’” However, Rodrigues de Freitas was later pronounced dead at the scene by emergency responders.
A video clip shows three workers hoisting Rodrigues de Freitas over their heads, holding her face down in a Superman pose, before being hurled over the edge. Another angle shows the actual fall, with people shouting, “The rope!” when they realized the safety equipment had not been connected.
According to information obtained by UMVA, a witness who was supposed to jump immediately after Rodrigues de Freitas told investigators that the instructors did not perform a safety check when it was her turn to jump. Others at the scene reported a serious failure during the equipment check, and that the instructors simply forgot to connect the safety system to Rodrigues de Freitas.
Moments before her jump, Rodrigues de Freitas had shared a photo of her jump wristbands on her Instagram stories, writing: “Who was the crazy person who let me come jump off a bridge?” Her fiancée, who witnessed the tragedy, had to be taken to hospital.
The bridge where the tragedy occurred, known as Skeleton Bridge, has been abandoned for years and falls under the responsibility of the federal government. Local officials said the instructors belonged to a private company that offered rope-jumping activities, but suggested they were part of informal groups of practitioners.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that six people were arrested, three of whom were charged with homicide with implied malice, after being unable to explain the error or why final safety checks were not conducted before Rodrigues de Freitas’ jump. Two of the suspects fled the area but were later tracked down by helicopter in the wooded area.
The City Hall of Limeira has announced plans to sue the federal government for failing to adequately manage the bridge, with Limeira Mayor Murilo Félix stating that Rodrigues de Freitas’ death “makes the continuation of this omission unsustainable and unacceptable.”
