Maria Eduarda Rodrigues De Freitas, 21, Lost Her Life Bungee Jumping After Crews Forgot To Tie Her Safety Rope Around Her Hole

This may be the worst case of negligence we have ever heard of.

The cable was not installed. It landed on the platform as workers carried Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas to the edge, threw her, and launched her. He fell about 130 meters in free fall. The early jump that morning had gone well, with the team conducting their usual pre-launch checks. His was skipped.

The bridge had a reputation. Locals call it Ponte do Esqueleto, Skeleton Bridge, an abandoned, unfinished railroad between Limeira and Cordeirópolis in São Paulo. It lives in the corporate world and has been used for illegal games for many years. Residents say Maria Eduarda’s death is about the fourth in the area in about three years. Two women were seriously injured there last August.

The city of Limeira says it sent warnings to the federal government months ago, demanding safety measures, maintenance and access control. Nothing tangible happened. Mayor Murilo Félix has now said the city will sue the federal government for failing to act.

The work was carried out by two works, Entre Cordas and Ih Voei. Entre Cordas translates to “Between Ropes.” Workers wore branded shirts and a company banner was draped over the site. Tickets run around 130 to 180 reais, about 25 to 32 dollars, and additional dates have been scheduled in São Paulo and Minas Gerais at higher prices. About a hundred people were expected to jump that day. Both companies shut down their social media accounts shortly after his death. A worker’s lawyer later said that jumping the ropes is not legally regulated in Brazil but is not prohibited, that similar incidents have occurred in the area without government intervention, and called it a “triste fatalidade,” a tragic death.

Minutes before the jump, around 7:31 am, Maria Eduarda posted Instagram stories and photos from the bridge, showing the setup, the wristbands, the company banner, and the view. The caption reads, “Quem foi o doido que dejjo eu vir pular de uma ponte???” Who is this crazy person who let me jump off the bridge. He had walked for about two and a half hours in the morning to get there. Her boyfriend was with her. He fell ill after hearing that he had died, was treated, and survived.

Higor William Diniz Ferreira was in line next to him. He had booked through a social media ad featuring a trainer who claimed to have four or five years of experience and a clean record. He intended to leave home at 6 a.m. and didn’t leave until around 6:40 a.m., which put him about five to ten people behind him in line. He later told EPTV/G1 that it should have been him. “Era pra seu.” After the fall, he described the chaos in the area, the people who died, one of the workers with his hand on his head, took his things, and left before the police arrived. The teachers ran to the mata, the surrounding forests, reportedly fearing an attack. An Águia police helicopter helped track two of them down.

Six people connected to this event have been detained, five men and one woman. Three are still in custody, including the 32-year-old who led Entre Cordas. Police described some of the prisoners as “desnorteados,” confused, and said they could not fully explain how the cable went unconnected. The case was registered as murder under dolo final, a section of Brazilian law where a person is aware of the risk that their actions could cause death. He died of polytrauma. Community police are still investigating.

Follow Thought Catalog on Facebook for more news and gossip from around the world.