A horrifying incident occurred in São Paulo State, Brazil, involving rope jumping at the Ponte do Esqueleto, known as Skeleton Bridge, about 100 miles northwest of São Paulo. Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, a 21-year-old woman from Jandira, São Paulo, died in a tragic event after instructors failed to secure her with safety equipment.
On Saturday, Ms. de Freitas was thrown from the abandoned Skeleton Bridge, a popular rope jumping location standing nearly 30 meters, or around 100 feet, above the ground. According to the Civil Police of the State of São Paulo, the instructors did not attach her to any safety rope.
Rope jumping differs from bungee jumping in the type of rope used. Unlike a bungee rope that stretches and allows the jumper to bounce, rope jumping uses a less flexible rope that swings outward when tightened. Unfortunately, Ms. de Freitas was not attached to such a rope.
Videos that went viral on social media showed her lifted over the heads of two instructors with her arms spread before being thrown off the bridge. The instructors wore harnesses connected to a rope, while a third instructor helped lift her by the ankles.
Previous videos from the bridge showed jumpers safely connected to a thick rope attached to a harness. However, in the case of Ms. de Freitas, the clips on her harness were empty as observed in the footage.
Efforts to save Ms. de Freitas by a nurse were underway when police arrived at the scene, but she had no vital signs, according to the police report. Three men employed by the rope jumping company were arrested following her death. The report stated that two of the men initially fled the scene, only to be captured later.
The company managing the jumps was found to lack authorization for operating at Skeleton Bridge, as stated by Brazil’s Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services.
Ms. de Freitas was carrying a GoPro-style camera during the jump. However, it was not recovered, and the instructors claimed ignorance about its location.
She was laid to rest in São Paulo State on Sunday as reported by The Associated Press.
Leonardo Coelho contributed additional reporting.