A fatal accident occurred on Saturday in São Paulo State, Brazil, when a woman died while rope jumping from a bridge. The incident involved instructors failing to attach her to safety equipment, as reported by the Civil Police of the State of São Paulo.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, aged 21, from Jandira, São Paulo, fell from the abandoned Ponte do Esqueleto, also known as Skeleton Bridge. This location, about 100 miles northwest of São Paulo City, is a well-known spot for rope jumping. The bridge stands approximately 30 meters, which is nearly 100 feet above the ground, according to a police report reviewed by The New York Times.
Rope jumping resembles bungee jumping but uses a different type of rope. While bungee ropes are elastic and bounce jumpers, the ropes in rope jumping are less flexible and swing outward when taut. Unfortunately, Ms. de Freitas was not connected to any rope during her jump.
Videos of the tragedy quickly spread across social media, depicting Ms. de Freitas being lifted over two instructors’ heads with her arms outstretched, before being thrown from the bridge. The instructors were seen wearing harnesses attached to ropes, while a third person hoisted her before moving aside at the edge.
Previously recorded videos from the same bridge demonstrated proper safety procedures, with jumpers securely attached with thick ropes clipped to harnesses. In contrast, the clips on Ms. de Freitas’s harness were visibly empty in the videos.
A nurse on site attempted resuscitation when police arrived, but officers reported finding her without vital signs, as per the police account.
Three men involved with the rope jumping company were detained following the incident. It was revealed that two of them fled initially but were later apprehended. The company lacked authorization to conduct jumps from the bridge, according to Brazil’s Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services.
Ms. de Freitas had a GoPro-style camera during her jump; however, police could not locate it, and instructors claimed ignorance of its location.
She was laid to rest in São Paulo State on Sunday.