Death of 21-year-old in bungee jumping in Brazil: three instructors charged with manslaughter
Three bungee jumping instructors are charged with manslaughter in Limeira, Brazil, after a 21-year-old fell without a safety cord from a 40-metre bridge.
Three arrests in Brazil for bungee jumping without safety cord that killed 21-year-old
According to Philenews, three bungee jumping instructors in Brazil are facing manslaughter charges following the death of Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21 years old, who fell from a height of approximately 40 metres without being attached to the safety cord.
The accident occurred on Saturday in Limeira, near São Paulo, on the so-called "Skeleton Bridge" — an old railway bridge used for jumps. In video that captured the fatal moment, the accused are seen lifting and throwing Rodrigues de Freitas into the void without having first attached the cord.
The accused are Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32 years old, Vítor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27 years old, and Maicon Fernandes Sintra, 42 years old. Two of the three left the scene immediately upon realising what had happened, whilst the young woman's fiancé watched in shock. They were located later with the help of a military helicopter.
Earlier videos resurface
Following the accident, earlier videos of Egoroff on social media came back into the public eye. In one of them, posted in 2023, the instructor holds the cord with one hand whilst a small child clings to him around the neck — and then jumps from the bridge with the child in his arms. The images provoked strong reactions from users. "Let us put an end to these strange practices. Let us hold all of them responsible for the crime," wrote one user below the video.
"Blackout" claim — company operated without licence
The investigating magistrate stated to O Globo that the suspects claimed they suffered a kind of "blackout" and did not remember whether they had attached the safety cord before the jump. Their defence lawyer stated that all three have many years of experience in the field and had never had a fatal incident in the past.
Three other employees of the company — which operated without a licence — who were present at a tent beside the jump site were arrested provisionally and later released.
360-degree camera never found
The 21-year-old had received from the company a 360-degree camera with an additional charge in order to record her experience. The device, according to Brazilian media, was never found at the base of the bridge after the accident.
A few minutes before the fatal jump, Rodrigues de Freitas had posted a message on Instagram: "Who was the madman who let me come jump from a bridge?". Following her death, relatives and friends paid tribute to the young woman through social media, whilst her mother published a message expressing her pain at the loss.
Source: Philenews