FATAL FALL Bungee jumper ‘was still alive when she was found’ after being thrown off bridge by staff who ‘forgot to attach rope’
A BUNGEE jumper was still alive when she was found after being thrown 130ft off a bridge by staff who allegedly forgot to attach a rope to her.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, died after being launched from Skeleton bridge in Limeira, Brazil on Saturday.
Horrifying video showed the moment she was held in the air by workers and thrown from the edge.
Maria did not realise a safety rope had not been attached to her harness before she plummeted to the ground.
Shockingly the aspiring teacher did not die immediately after falling more than 100ft, according to a nurse who tried to save her.
Rayza Dias told Brazilian TV the victim was breathing and still had a weak pulse when she attempted to provide life-saving aid.
She said: “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.”
Duda is a common affectionate Portuguese nickname for women named Eduarda.
After Maria hit the ground, police said the workers changed their clothes and at least two allegedly fled the area.
But they were arrested soon afterwards at the Ponte do Esqueleto trail after a chopper tracked them down.
The three men from the video, named as Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, have been charged with homicide with implied malice.
Astonishingly, the men told police they cannot remember whose job it was to attach the rope. Three others were also arrested.
Luis Felipe, who said he earned around £26 per jump, told police equipment checks were carried out “jointly.”
Asked who was responsible for the final safety checks for Maria’s jump, he told cops: “I can’t remember.”
Maicon Fernandes Cintra reportedly gave the same answer.
Their lawyer Rafael Gomes dos Santos claimed overnight: “They are in a state of shock.
“They cannot explain what happened because they have been doing this for years. Nothing like this has ever happened.”
Maria Eduarda’s mum broke her silence with an emotional tribute, saying she was only left with “pain” after the tragedy..
Valdenia Rodrigues described the rope the staff allegedly forgot to attach as “damned and cursed”.
Just hours before her death, Maria posted a series of stories on social media that revealed her excitement for the jump that would kill her.
One chilling post showed the view from the edge of the bridge and the company banner “Entre Cordas”.
Higor Diniz, who witnessed Maria’s plunge, told EPTV that a small crowd had gathered to watch the bungee jump, including children as young as six.
