The 21-year-old Brazilian woman who was thrown from a bridge without a safety rope was alive when a nurse found her, 130 feet down, in a ravine. Now, the nurse has spoken out, sharing the last haunting moments of the woman before she died.
The shocking incident occurred in Limeira, in the São Paulo area of Brazil, on Saturday. 21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas died after being pushed from a bridge during a bungee jumping event while not being attached to a safety rope.
Horrifying videos that have since spread on social media show how two men carried the woman above their heads. Maria Eduarda spread her arms like wings, wearing a safety helmet, before being thrown off the “Skeleton Bridge.”
She fell approximately 130 feet (around 40 meters) into a ravine during the event. Disturbing footage showed bystanders screaming in panic as they realized she was not attached to any safety equipment.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but tragically, the 21-year-old woman could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to The Sun, witnesses told Military Police that a critical safety mistake may have led to the tragedy. They claimed those responsible failed to properly secure the woman’s safety cord before the jump.
Woman was thrown to her death after bungee jumping crew ‘forgot’ to attach the safety rope
Authorities have now launched an investigation into the alleged oversight, with local reports describing the incident as a devastating and potentially preventable accident.
According to The Sun, some of those believed to be responsible for the tragedy allegedly fled into nearby woodland shortly after the incident. Police later launched a helicopter search and located at least two individuals near the Ponte do Esqueleto trail, where they were arrested.
People Magazine reported that a total of six people have been taken in for questioning in connection with de Freitas’ fatal fall, according to a spokesperson for the São Paulo government.
Three men, aged 27, 32, and 42, were arrested at the scene and charged with homicide with implied malice.
Investigators believe serious safety failures may have contributed to the tragedy. Speaking to G1, Delegate Andrea Dantas Levy said the team responsible for the event was not properly authorized to operate at the location.
“It was a team there that wasn’t regulated; they didn’t even have authorization to be there,” Delegate Andrea Dantas Levy told G1, per People. “They ended up organizing 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.”
Nurse who found woman that was thrown to her death breaks silence
Three of the bungee jump operators were charged with homicide on Sunday. The other three suspects who worked at the illegal site were detained but later released without charge.
“Skeleton Bridge” got its name because it was unfinished, as it was constructed for a railway that was later defunded. It has been a popular site for extreme sports activities. In April 2024, a cyclist fell to her death at the bridge.
“In addition to the circumstances that led to the young woman’s death, it is necessary to establish who is responsible for the lack of access control to a federal area which, for years, has posed known risks and is still without the necessary safety measures,” the mayor of the town of Limeira, Murilo Felix, said in a statement.
He continued, “We have been calling for action for months to ensure that the Federal Government assumes its responsibility. Unfortunately, its failure to act has just resulted in yet another tragedy in Limeira.”
Now, new horrifying details of what happened to Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas have come to light. Speaking on Brazilian television, as reported by The Mirror, Rayza Dias, a nurse, was in the nearby area and rushed to the 21-year-old’s aid, saying that the woman didn’t instantly die.
“I scraped my whole hand because there’s a steep slope down there and only one rope for us to climb down,” Dias told Domingo Espetacular on Sunday.
“Nobody dies on my shift”
The nurse described that it was incredibly difficult to reach Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas after the fall, as it was “all covered in mud. I kept going down, down, we walked all the way.”
She added that the woman was breathing heavily and had a faint pulse when she reached her. She performed life-saving treatment in a desperate attempt to save Maria’s life.
“I even talked to her. I have a habit of joking and saying, ‘Nobody dies on my shift.’ And I told her, ‘Duda, nobody dies on my shift.’ Even though I wasn’t on my shift there,” she said.
Rest in peace, Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas. Our thoughts go out to her family.