A mother and her son have been killed after a lorry crashed into a motorway footbridge, sending the structure crashing down on top of their car.
Rosangela Carlos Soares Chaves and Douglas Soares Quaresma were driving beneath the footbridge when a lorry travelling in the opposite direction struck the structure, causing it to collapse onto the carriageway.
The car carrying Rosangela, 63, and Douglas, 40, was crushed beneath the falling structure.
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Both died at the scene, while a third person was injured and taken to hospital.
The pair were travelling from Belo Horizonte to São Paulo, Brazil, when the tragedy happened on the Fernão Dias motorway in Vargem on Tuesday morning (18 August).
Rosangela was a hairdresser and mother of three who was described by her brother as “a very nice woman”.
Douglas, who was married and had a six-year-old son, worked as a commercial representative in the optical sector.
He had been travelling to São Paulo for a work-related trade fair and had stopped at his mother’s home in Belo Horizonte before setting off.
He then invited her to come along, telling her: “Come for a trip, come with me to the fair.”
His uncle Renato Carlos said the mother and son were very close.
The family had not expected Rosangela to make the journey, with Renato saying: “I didn’t even know she was coming here to São Paulo. It was a surprise. It was a shock to me.”
Their bodies were taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bragança Paulista before being transported back to Belo Horizonte.
The driver of the lorry that struck the footbridge was identified as Deyvidson Temudo De Oliveira and arrested at the scene.
The 42-year-old underwent a breathalyser test, which came back negative, as reported by Need To Know.
Police are investigating the circumstances of the crash, which was registered as manslaughter by negligent driving and negligent bodily injury caused by driving a motor vehicle.
According to reports citing the police investigation, the lorry struck a central support column of the footbridge while carrying out an overtaking manoeuvre.
The vehicle was reportedly transporting another large lorry on a trailer and was allegedly above the permitted height and width limits.
The driver was not believed to have been speeding, according to investigators.
XCMG BRASIL, which owns the equipment being transported, said it was not responsible for the haulage operation, which was carried out by a specialist contractor.
The collapse caused major disruption on the Fernão Dias, with both directions closed as crews worked to remove the wreckage.
Five cranes and two recovery vehicles were used in the complex operation, which required the area to be secured and the remaining structure assessed before the beams could be removed.
The São Paulo-bound carriageway reopened at 7.54pm, with 12km (7 miles) of congestion remaining, while the Belo Horizonte-bound side reopened at 10.34pm, with 23km (14 miles) of queues.
At one point, tailbacks exceeded 30km (19 miles) in both directions.
Rosangela’s niece Renata Marcial called for those responsible to be held accountable, writing on social media: “It wasn’t an accident. It was other people’s irresponsibility, and those responsible must pay.”
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