21-year-old Brazilian woman dies while bungee jumping as staff forget to tie rope
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was thrown off Sao Paulo's Skeleton Bridge by instructors who failed to attach her safety rope and it was all caught on camera
A 21-year-old woman died in Limeira, Sao Paulo, on Saturday (June 13) after staff at a rope-jumping event pushed her off the Skeleton Bridge without attaching the rope to her safety harness. Medics pronounced her dead at the scene after a fall of approximately 40 metres into a ravine.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, a graduate in physical education and sports management, had gone rope jumping with her fiancé at the Ponte do Esqueleto, also known as Skeleton Bridge. According to military police, people on site reported that the rope was not secured to her harness before she was launched by two men off the platform.
Bystanders screamed in horror
Two videos emerged of the incident. Right before she was launched off the platform, someone can be heard shouting "Guys, the rope," after realising the woman was not connected to the safety cord.
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She struck the ground below and was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple trauma, despite attempts by people nearby to perform CPR before paramedics arrived. Her fiancé, who accompanied her to the bridge, witnessed the fall firsthand and was later treated for severe emotional distress at a nearby hospital.
Her final social media post
Freitas had posted photographs and video to her social media account shortly before the jump, including an image of a sign at the site warning of "danger" and "risk of death." In one post, she wrote: "Who was the crazy one who let me come jump off a bridge?"
Her social media showed that she was a recent graduate and a resident of Jandira in Greater São Paulo. She worked at a gym in Jandira, which posted a message mourning her death.
Six arrested, two fled
Following the fatal fall, six individuals associated with the operating companies were arrested. According to authorities, two men fled the scene immediately after the accident and were later found in a wooded area with assistance from the police helicopter.
Authorities detained six people from the company running the jump, suspecting negligence and possible homicide charges. The loss of the university student has reignited discussions and fear regarding the strict regulation of extreme sports.