Just moments before she plunged roughly 40 meters to her death after being thrown off a bridge in Brazil without a bungee cord attached, 21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas posted a joking message on Instagram, the New York Post reported. The shocking incident occurred on Saturday (June 13) at Ponte do Esqueleto, also known as Skeleton Bridge, in Limeira, Sao Paulo.
Freitas, who had recently graduated with a degree in physical education and sports management, had reportedly traveled to the abandoned railway bridge with her fiance for a bungee jump, an activity operated by a local adventure company. According to Brazilian newspaper O Globo, the company allegedly failed to attach a cord to her harness. She was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet added.
Footage from the scene shows staff members carrying Freitas to the edge before throwing her over. She was wearing only a helmet. Moments later, onlookers realize the safety cord is still lying on the ground, with shouts of “Guys, the rope!” audible as she falls.
According to the outlet, she had shared photos and videos from the site on her Instagram Stories shortly before the jump. In one post showing the bridge and her wristbands, she wrote: “Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?” It appeared to be nervous humor. People Magazine reported that De Freitas’s social media profile was later taken down.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZkROD2kVIH/?img_inde
Authorities are investigating whether the operator held proper permits.
Her fiance, who witnessed the fall, reportedly fell ill and was taken to a hospital. Police arrested six people connected to the event, including three at the scene.
Authorities are investigating whether the operator held proper permits and followed safety protocols.
“It was a team there that wasn’t regulated; they didn’t even have authorisation to be there,” Delegate Andrea Dantas Levy reportedly told news outlet G1. “They ended up organising this event, and this fatality happened today, in my perception, due to a failure to verify and supervise the placement of the rope on the victim’s jump.”