A nurse who rushed to help Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas after she fell 130 feet from a bridge without a bungee cord says the 21-year-old was still alive when she reached her on the ground.
"I saw that she was breathing heavily, and I looked at her pupils, which unfortunately were both dilated, and felt her pulse. It was very weak, but she still had a pulse," nurse Rayza Dias told Brazilian TV network Domingo Espetacular on Sunday.
Dias scrambled down steep, muddy terrain, injuring her hands in the process. "I scraped my whole hand because there's a steep slope down there and only one rope for us to climb down. It was all covered in mud. I kept going down, down; we walked all the way," she said.
When she reached the victim, she spoke to her. "I have a habit of joking and saying, 'Nobody dies on my shift.' And I told her, 'Duda [Eduarda], nobody dies on my shift.' Even though I wasn't on my shift there," Dias said. Despite her efforts, Freitas, a physical education graduate, died from multiple injuries suffered in the fall at the Ponte do Esqueleto (Skeleton Bridge) in Limeira, São Paulo state.
The accident, which occurred Saturday morning, was captured on video. Footage shows Freitas being launched from the platform. Immediately after she was launched, people can be heard shouting "Guys, the rope!" when they realized the safety equipment had not been connected.
Six Arrested, Homicide Charges Under Investigation
The case has been referred to the 2nd Police District of Limeira for investigation. Authorities are investigating who was responsible for securing the safety equipment and whether proper protocols were followed.
Authorities initially detained six people in connection with the incident. Three of the workers have been arrested and charged with homicide for Freitas's death. Two suspects reportedly tried fleeing following the incident and had to be tracked down by a military helicopter.
Final Social Media Post
Shortly before the jump, Freitas posted on Instagram stories in a joking tone: "Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?" Her profile was taken down hours after her death.
The case has been referred to the 2nd Police District of Limeira for investigation. Authorities are investigating who was responsible for securing the safety equipment and whether proper protocols were followed.
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