Obvious red flags led to bungee jumpers on-camera death in Brazil, expert says: Pure negligence
Multiple red flags — including confusion over who was in charge — are to blame in the horrific death of a Brazilian student during a bungee jump-style stunt, according to an expert, who told The Post he saw “pure negligence” on display in the viral video.Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, died when she was hurled off a bridge near Sao Paulo for a rope jump without being attached to a rope on Saturday, plummeting 130 feet to the ground.Three instructors, Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, and Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27, were arrested and charged with homicide on Sunday, after authorities said their business was illegal and unlicensed.Chris Batten, owner and operator of Bungee Expeditions, told The Post that even before it became clear the rope wasn’t attached, there were other red flags on display.“What we saw here was pure negligence from many avenues,” he said, adding that for anyone looking at taking part in a rope or bungee jump, there were several key factors to look for.“I’d say the obvious signs would be, is it run like a business? Is it run like a professional operation? Is there a clear person in charge who is directing other staff?” said Batten, who has more than 30 years of experience bungee jumping.“There should have been one person in charge who handled everything,” he said.On Monday, a lawyer for the three suspects said that none of them took responsibility for being in charge.“If there’s not one person taking charge and then another person acting as backup, that’s a clear red flag,” Batten said.The instructor added that the directions for each customer should be clear, and that the operation should be “run like a business.”After a jump, “the next person has already heard and seen that, yet they get the exact same instruction.And that goes for every person,” Batten explained.“I don’t care if there are 20 people there.
The 20th person gets the same instructions as the fi...