Two women are being investigated for manslaughter (when there is no intention) after the death of a cyclist in an accident in Passo Fundo (RS) on the Corpus Christi holiday, on May 4th.
According to Civil Police from Rio Grande do Sul, women aged 30 and 27 were walking in a lane designated exclusively for bicycles and had stopped in the middle of the road to record videos when cyclist Cleocir Jorge dos Santos, 54, collided with them.
With the impact, he fell to the side of the road, was hit by a car and died.
According to the investigation, the women are friends and residents of Carazinho, about 46 km from Passo Fundo, and are expected to give a statement this week.
Police have not released the identities of the women. When questioned, the corporation said it did not know if they already had lawyers. The report was unable to identify those responsible for the defense.
According to delegate Daniela Minetto, responsible for the case, the death was initially treated as manslaughter while driving a motor vehicle. In other words, initially the suspect was the driver of the car that ran over Cleocir.
However, the investigation changed after security camera video showed the presence of women on the bike path.
In the images, they park a car, cross the street and start walking along the street. Bike lane in the opposite direction to that of bicycles.
At times, the two stop in the middle of the bike path to take photos of each other on their cell phones.
Shortly after, they leave the camera’s focus and it is possible to see Cleocir right behind on the bicycle, followed by a black car, until traffic is stopped due to the accident.
“Thus, the police authority understood that the accident occurred due to the recklessness of the aforementioned women and not the driver of the vehicle,” said the delegate in a statement.
On Sunday (8), cyclists and family members held a demonstration in memory of Cleocir in a city square asking for justice.
Lawyer Renato Oliveira, who represents the victim’s family, said he follows the work of the police and seeks clarification on the conduct of the pedestrians.
“In this moment of deep pain, the family seeks full clarification of the facts and accountability of those responsible in accordance with the law, so that the tragedy involving Cleocirc is not treated as a mere incident, but as a warning about the need to respect traffic rules and life”, says the text.
