A young woman who plunged to her death in a bungee jump tragedy was still alive after striking the ground, according to a nurse who frantically tried to save her.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, fell to her death after being launched from an abandoned 130-foot Skeleton Bridge in Sao Paulo without a safety rope on Saturday. Rayza Dias, a nurse who raced to her aid, told Brazilian television that the woman did not perish immediately.

“I scraped my whole hand because there’s a steep slope down there and only one rope for us to climb down,” Dias told Domingo Espetacular on Sunday, outlining the immense difficulty in reaching Rodrigues de Freitas following the fall. “It was all covered in mud. I kept going down, down, we walked all the way.”

Dias disclosed that the victim was breathing heavily and had a faint pulse as she urgently worked to deliver life-saving treatment.

“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,” she said, becoming visibly emotional.

“Duda” is a commonly used affectionate term for a Portuguese woman named Eduarda or a man named Eduardo or Duarte.

Based on local reports and a video that has subsequently spread widely online, Rodrigues de Freitas had asked to be launched “airplane style,” with two instructors lifting her above their shoulders as she extended her arms.

The operators purportedly failed to attach a rope to her harness. They have now been charged with homicide with eventual intent, which applies when the defendant did not intend to kill someone, but acted with extreme recklessness, resulting in death.

Brazil’s military police told local outlets that the two men fled the scene in Limeira after discovering their fatal error. A helicopter swiftly found them in a nearby wooded area, and the Sao Paulo Public Security Secretariat confirmed that six individuals were brought in for questioning.

The accused insisted there was a “blackout” during preparation, and they “can’t remember” where or when they failed to attach the rope, or who was responsible for securing it.

The three men who were detained have been identified locally as Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, and Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27. This is not the first fatal incident to occur at the Skeleton Bridge.

In 2024, a female cyclist crossing with friends lost control and plunged over the side to her death.

In the wake of that tragedy, the federal government instructed the municipality of Limeria to restrict access and erect warning signs. The municipality complied, yet the blocked entrance was swiftly bypassed.

Following the death of Rodrigues de Freitas, Limeira’s City Hall stressed that the federal government bears responsibility for overseeing the bridge, adding that it had previously alerted federal authorities to the dangers posed by the derelict structure.

The city also announced its intention to pursue legal action against the Brazilian government for failing to monitor and regulate access to the abandoned railway.

“In addition to the circumstances that led to the young woman’s death, it is necessary to establish who is responsible for the lack of access control to a federal area which, for years, has posed known risks and is still without the necessary safety measures,” said Limeira Mayor Murilo Felix.

“We have been calling for action for months to ensure that the Federal Government assumes its responsibility. Unfortunately, its failure to act has just resulted in yet another tragedy in Limeira.”

Rodrigues de Freitas was laid to rest in São Paulo on Sunday, with her mother taking to social media just hours after the funeral. “That damned rope took you away from me forever,” said the heartbroken mum.

“My beloved daughter, you are gone, and all that remains here is pain and longing. I will love you forever.”