Woman Dies During Rope Jumping Accident in Brazil
Quick Look
- Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas died while rope jumping at Ponte do Esqueleto in Limeira, Brazil.
- She was launched from the bridge without safety equipment, despite onlookers' warnings.
- Footage shows the incident, and previous jumps by the same company used safety cords.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, who aspired to be a physical education teacher, died during a rope jumping activity at an abandoned bridge in Limeira, Brazil. She was launched without safety equipment.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was going rope jumping on Saturday at Ponte do Esqueleto, an abandoned bridge in the municipality of Limeira where tourists practice extreme sports.
The young woman, who aspired to become a physical education teacher, had asked to be launched from the bridge aeroplane style, with two instructors hoisting her above their shoulders as she spread out her arms.
Footage shared online shows two men in white helmets launching Freites into a 40-metre (130-foot) abyss without attaching her to any security equipment as an onlooker screams at the instructors to attach her to a cord. The instructors are wearing harnesses that appear to be attached to a security rope.
Shortly before the accident, de Freitas posted an image of the site on Instagram captioned: “Who was the crazy person who let me come jump off a bridge???”.
Previous videos of the extreme sport at the bridge, carried out by the Entre Cordas company, show participants with a thick safety cord around their waists as they are launched off.
Open Questions
- Why were safety protocols not followed?
- What is the legal consequence for the instructors?
- Are there previous incidents involving this company?
