A diplomat couple’s daughter was killed after being struck by a van just hours after arriving in a new city to start a job.
The driver lost control, mounted the pavement and hit a signpost at around 5pm on Saturday (16 May).
At least three pedestrians on the pavement were struck, including Mariana Tanaka Abdul Hak and her mother, Ana Patrícia Neves Abdul Hak.
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All three were taken to hospital, where Mariana, who had suffered multiple fractures, underwent surgery.
She died the following day (17 May) from a traumatic brain injury.
Mariana, 20, had landed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that same Saturday morning, travelling with her mother, who was helping her settle in.
She was due to start a new job at L’Oréal, as reported by Need To Know.
The crash happened shortly after she and her mother left her belongings at her new flat and went out for a walk.
Ana – deputy consul of Brazil in Buenos Aires, Argentina – has since been discharged from hospital but remains in a wheelchair.
The third victim, Sérgio da Costa Luiz, left hospital against medical advice.
The van driver had only been working for the delivery company for 10 days and was driving the vehicle for just the third time.
He told police the steering wheel locked while he was changing lanes.
He was travelling at around 60km/h (37mph) – the speed limit for the road – at the time.
He tested negative for drugs and alcohol and remained at the scene until emergency services arrived. He has since been released.
His passenger colleague reportedly told officers: “These vans break down all the time.”
Mariana had previously lived in the UK, Venezuela, Belgium, Lebanon, France and Italy.
A business administration graduate, she was fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, French and Italian.
Her father, Ambassador Ibrahim Abdul Hak Neto, is a special adviser to the Brazilian Presidency on peace and security issues and has previously represented Brazil in Belgium and Lebanon.
He said of Mariana: “She was a source of joy, of love, of youth.
“The kind of person who, when you know she’s with you, feels like home – she brings music, dancing, jokes, happiness, teasing.
“She was an angel God gave me. My wife and I lived with that angel for 20 years.
“The way we see this is to be grateful for those 20 years we had with her.”
The van is undergoing forensic examination.
Mariana’s funeral will be held in São Paulo tomorrow (21 May).
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