Vice mayor accused of 'tying up' realized fault before dying in accident

Survivor Lara Monique Coutinho reported that the vice-mayor of Ribeira, Juliana Maria Teixeira da Costa, noticed brake failure before the fatal accident.

The group was traveling for an electoral campaign. Upon realizing the error, Juliana tried to brake with the electronic handbrake, but lost control.

The vehicle fell down a 50-meter embankment and overturned. Juliana was thrown out of the car and found without vital signs.

Lara and another passenger suffered minor injuries in the accident. Lara's sister dislocated her collarbone and had to be rescued with the help of ropes.

Administrative assistant Lara Monique Coutinho, aged 25, is one of the survivors of the car accident that killed the vice-mayor of Ribeira (SP), Juliana Maria Teixeira da Costa, aged 40, who was removed from office and accused of rigging bids and diverting R$41,000 for a "spiritual bond". To g1, the young woman said that she put on her seat belt after Juliana warned that the car had no brakes.

Lara was in the front seat, next to the vice mayor, who was driving the vehicle. In the back seat, her sister and another woman, whom the administrative assistant did not know, were traveling. The group was heading to an election campaign for a candidate for state deputy.

The four women were initially not wearing seat belts. Lara had met Juliana about four days before the accident, when the vice mayor asked for help with the activity.

The group left a bakery in the central region of the city at around 9am towards the Saltinho neighborhood. During the route, Juliana commented that they would pass through Curva do Arroz, on Rodovia SP-250, a stretch considered dangerous.

According to Lara, before arriving at the location, Juliana noticed that the car had a problem with the brakes. Upon hearing from the deputy mayor that the vehicle had no brakes, the young woman put on her seat belt.

"Now you're going to need to trust me," said Juliana, according to Lara's account.

The survivor said that Juliana tried to reduce speed using the handbrake, which was electronic. Shortly afterwards, according to the report, the deputy mayor lost control of the steering wheel and the vehicle left the road.

Lara stated that the car fell into a cliff of approximately 50 meters and overturned during the fall. The vehicle only stopped when it got stuck in a tree and, according to her, Juliana was thrown out of the car.

The administrative assistant, her sister and the other passenger managed to get out of the vehicle on their own.

A resident of the region who heard the noise of the accident was the first to arrive at the scene to provide assistance. Afterwards, rescue teams and other residents helped care for the victims.

Lara and the other passenger suffered minor injuries. The administrative assistant's sister dislocated her collarbone and injured her arm. "I took her out of there and made a sling on her arm with my jacket to keep her arm stable," Lara reported.

Due to the difficulty in accessing the location, the sister had to be removed on a stretcher with the help of ropes. Juliana was found without vital signs.

Despite escaping with minor injuries, Lara said she still hasn't been able to process what happened.

"I can't cry, I can't react. I can't do anything [...] I'm relieved that I was okay, that I got out alive [...] but I'm sad about Juliana's situation," she said.