Bungee Jumper Who Fell Without a Cord was Still Alive When Nurse Found Her

A 21-year-old student who plunged from a 130-foot bridge during a horrifying bungee jump gone wrong was still alive when rescuers first reached her, an off-duty nurse has revealed.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas died Saturday after being thrown from an abandoned bridge near São Paulo, Brazil, in what authorities say was an unlicensed jump. Video shared on social media reportedly shows the terrifying moment she was lifted over the edge of the bridge and released — apparently without a cord attached.

The deadly fall happened at a site known locally as “Skeleton Bridge,” where illegal rope-jumping activities had allegedly been taking place.

Nurse Rayza Dias, who happened to be at the scene, said she rushed down a steep, muddy slope to reach the young woman at the bottom of the bridge.

“I scraped my whole hand because there’s a steep slope down there and only one rope for us to climb down,” Dias told Brazilian TV network Domingo Espetacular.

“It was all covered in mud. I kept going down, down, we walked all the way,” she said.

When Dias finally reached Rodrigues de Freitas, the student was still alive.

The nurse said she tried to comfort her in those desperate moments, using the same phrase she often says while working.

“I even talked to her,” Dias said. “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.”

Dias became emotional as she recalled the tragic encounter.

Rodrigues de Freitas, who went by Duda, later died from her injuries.

Authorities moved quickly after the fatal fall. Three bungee jump operators were arrested Sunday and charged with homicide, according to reports. Police said two of the suspects allegedly tried to flee after the death and had to be located with the help of a military helicopter.

Another three people who worked at the illegal jump site were detained but later released without charge.

The case has sparked outrage in Brazil, with many demanding answers over how Rodrigues de Freitas could have been pushed from the bridge without the most basic safety equipment attached.