Nurse reveals Brazilian girl was still alive after 130-foot bungee fall without safety cord

WASHINGTON, DC: A nurse who rushed to help a Brazilian student who fell 130 feet from a bridge during an unlicensed bungee jump has revealed that the young woman was still alive when rescuers reached her.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, died after being thrown from an abandoned bridge near São Paulo on Saturday, June 13, without a safety cord attached. The incident was captured on video and sparked outrage across Brazil, with three instructors later charged with homicide.

Nurse says victim was conscious after fall

Off-duty nurse Rayza Dias told Brazilian television program Domingo Espetacular that she immediately rushed toward the crash site after witnessing the fall at the so-called "Skeleton Bridge."

“I scraped my whole hand because there’s a steep slope down there and only one rope for us to climb down,” Dias said, describing the difficult terrain rescuers had to navigate.

Despite the severity of the fall, Dias said Rodrigues de Freitas was still alive when she reached her.

“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,” the nurse recalled while becoming emotional during the interview.

The bridge, which was never completed and has become a site for illegal extreme sports activities, was hosting an unlicensed rope-jumping event when the fatal accident occurred.

Instructors charged after fatal jump

Authorities arrested six people linked to the operation following the tragedy. Three instructors were later charged with homicide after investigators alleged that safety procedures had not been followed and the victim had been pushed from the bridge without a cord attached.

Reports said two of the suspects initially fled the scene and were later located by authorities.

The incident has renewed scrutiny 32over activities taking place at Skeleton Bridge, where another fatal accident was reported in 2024.

Rodrigues de Freitas' death has sparked an outpouring of grief, including from her mother, who publicly mourned her daughter and blamed the fatal mistake that led to the tragedy. Authorities continue to investigate how the jump was allowed to proceed without proper safety measures and whether additional charges could be filed.

The case has drawn widespread attention after videos of the incident circulated online, raising questions about safety standards at unauthorized adventure sports sites in Brazil.