A 21-year-old woman who sustained fatal injuries after being thrown 130ft in a tragic bungee jumping accident was initially found alive, according to a nurse who tried to resuscitate her.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas died following the incident on Saturday, June 14, at the Ponte do Esqueleto (Skeleton Bridge) in Limeira, Brazil, which was captured in shocking footage that has since gone viral.
An off-duty nurse has now shared details of the tragedy, stating that Maria Eduarda was still breathing after the horrific fall seen on camera, reports Daily Star.
Giving an interview to Brazilian television, nurse Rayza Dias confirmed that the young woman was breathing and possessed a weak pulse while emergency first aid was being administered.
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 (a nickname for women named Eduarda), nobody dies on my shift’. Even though I wasn’t on my shift there."
Maria Eduarda, who was an aspiring teacher, was employed as a physical education professional at a Sao Paulo gym in Jandira.
In the footage, voices can be heard trying to get the attention of staff as they carried Maria Eduarda closer to the edge.
"The rope!" shouted one witness. Then another person repeated: "Guys, the rope!" Although no yells for stop were heard before the tragedy.
Three men have since been arrested over her death after they were unable to explain to the Civil Police how the tragedy occurred.
The three men have been named as Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42. They have been charged with homicide with implied malice.
According to reports in Brazil, staff told police that equipment checks were not the sole responsibility of one person but a joint one. They all reportedly told cops that they could not remember who was responsible for checks of the victim's safety rope.
Police officer Andrea Dantas, who was on duty when the incident occurred, said: "They can't remember what the mistake was there, who should have put the rope in place, if there was no supervision. They can't remember."
Maria Eduarda's last Instagram post sparked chills after she posted just minutes before the bungee jump. She wrote: "Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?"
