Death in rope jump: I don't remember what happened, says jumping instructor
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, aged 21, died during an attempted rope jump on Ponte do Esqueleto, in Limeira, in the interior of São Paulo, after being thrown from the structure without being attached to the rope.
The SPU (Union Heritage Secretariat), linked to the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services, informed CNN that the company Entre Cordas, involved in the tragedy, did not have authorization to carry out sporting activities at the site.
According to the folder, access to the bridge should be closed. The Secretariat met with the AGU (Attorney General of the Union) and city halls in the region to jointly define the measures that will be adopted to avoid new accidents.
Access to the bridge had previously been blocked
The SPU also reported that access to the Skeletor Bridge was blocked in 2024, after the death of a cyclist who fell from the structure, but that the site was reopened months later.
The bridge, about 40 meters high, is known in the region for attracting tourists looking for extreme activities.
Three instructors who appear in the images preparing Maria Eduarda for the jump were arrested red-handed.
According to the police, there is evidence that those investigated took the risk of resulting in death by failing to adopt basic safety procedures.
After a custody hearing, the court converted the arrests into preventive arrests.
In the decision, the judge classified the employees' conduct as gross negligence.
The judge also pointed out that the three tried to flee the scene after the incident and that the police did not find the camera used during the activity by Maria Eduarda, which, in the judge's assessment, could indicate an attempt to conceal evidence.
During the testimonies, when asked why they didn't attach the rope to the young girl, the instructors were unable to answer and stated that what happened was a fatality.
Instructor says he doesn't remember what happened
CNN had access to videos of the prisoners' statements.
In one of the excerpts, instructor Luis Felipe Egoroff stated that "I went to the front first, then after that it disappeared from my mind, I don't remember".
When asked if he could remember who was responsible for carrying out the inspection before the jump, he responded negatively.
Another instructor, Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, also stated that he believes it was "really a fatality that happened", adding that "no one leaves home to do something like that".
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Source: CNN