Three men are facing potential charges following the death of a 21-year-old woman during a rope-jumping event in Brazil. Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas died on Saturday after being launched from a bridge without safety ropes, according to authorities. The incident occurred at an abandoned bridge located approximately 90 miles northwest of São Paulo.
Police investigator Andrea Levy reported that the instructors involved admitted that Rodrigues de Freitas was not connected to any safety equipment before the jump. They could not recall whether the ropes were forgotten or who was responsible for checking them. The instructors were arrested and may face homicide charges under Brazilian law, which applies when there is an acceptance of risk that could lead to death.
Rodrigues de Freitas had requested to be launched in an 'airplane style' manner, where two instructors would lift her above their shoulders. Video footage appears to show the instructors tossing her from the bridge just before the fall, while they were secured with harnesses connected to safety lines. Authorities indicated that she fell approximately 130 feet.
Rodrigues de Freitas had purchased a guided hiking excursion that included the rope jump. The City of Limeira, where she was a resident, expressed condolences to her family and stated it would cooperate with the investigation. Investigators are looking into whether the group conducting the jump was authorized to operate at the site and whether a failure to verify the safety rope's placement contributed to the incident. The instructors' attorneys stated that the incident was the first fatality in their years of operation.
Rodrigues de Freitas was buried on Sunday, and the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing.