Sao Paulo, Brazil
The three instructors arrested for the death of the 21-year-old girl who died after being thrown into the void during a bungee jump did not know how to explain to the Civil Police what happened at the time of the accident.
The young woman, identified as Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitasdied last Saturday after being thrown into the void without safety equipment during a bungee jump on the Ponte do Esqueleto hike, a well-known hiking and adventure tourism route in the interior of the state of São Paulo.
The accused of his death, who remain in judicial custody, were identified as Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27 years old; Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42.
In a video From their testimonies, to which TV Globo had access, Egoroff and Cintra acknowledged being responsible for placing and securing the ropes before each activity, but neither was able to detail how the security tasks and the check prior to the victim’s launch last Saturday were divided.
“We always say that the rope is visible, it is very visible. So it is difficult to understand how we did not see it,” said Egoroff in the released clipping.
“Sometimes I place (the rope) and another checks, sometimes another checks and another places…”, Cintra responded when asked about the general procedure of the activity. On the other hand, Gonçalves admitted that his role in the discipline was limited to lifting the young woman to position her before throwing her.
The lawyer representing the trio of instructors, Rafael Gomes dos Santos, announced that he will file an appeal requesting the release of his clients.
In a note released by ‘G1’, the defender expressed his rejection of the criminal classification of the crime as fraud, since he argues that the accused at no time had the intention of causing the death nor did they voluntarily assume the risk of a fatal outcome.
The Ponte do Esqueleto walk, 150 kilometers from the capital of São Paulo, has a viaduct located at a height that ranges between 30 and 35 meters, usually used for the practice of high-impact activities, such as bungee jumping and rope jumping.
As a result of last Saturday’s accident, the Brazilian Government is considering demolishing this structure, initially built to function as a railway but abandoned more than three decades ago, to eradicate the organization of clandestine extreme sports events.
Video
The moment of the accident was recorded in a video circulating on social networks, in which the desperate reaction of those present can be heard shouting “People, the rope!”, upon realizing that the young woman fell without any type of mooring.
The people who witnessed the incident came to help the young woman, starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers; However, upon arrival the medical team confirmed death.
