Nurse Says Bungee Jumper Was Still Alive After Crew Sent Her Off Bridge with No Cord

According to reporting from the New York Post, Rayza Dias told Brazilian network Domingo Espetacular that Rodrigues de Freitas was still alive when she reached her at the base of “Skeleton Bridge,” the abandoned span near Sao Paulo where the unlicensed jump took place on Saturday.

“I scraped my whole hand because there’s a steep slope down there and only one rope for us to climb down,” Dias said. “It was all covered in mud. I kept going down, down, we walked all the way.”

Dias said she spoke to her when she got there. “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.”

Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, had been filmed being hurled off the 130-foot bridge after the crew apparently failed to attach her cord. She did not survive her injuries.

Her mother, Valdenia Rodrigues, posted a tribute on Instagram on Sunday, according to Brazilian outlet Estadao. “That damned rope took you away from me forever,” she wrote. “My beloved daughter, only today I wanted to hug you more than a thousand times. How it’s hurting me your departure.”

“I love you forever, my princess. And thank you so much for being a part of my life during those 21 years. What an honor it was to hear you call me a mother.”

Three operators were arrested and charged with homicide on Sunday. Two of them ran after the death and had to be tracked down with a military helicopter. Three other staff members were detained and later released without charge.

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