Holiday Road Disasters in Brazil Kill Multiple as Police Probe Bus Rollover and Fatal Collisions

Overview

• In Jaboticabal (SP), a tourist bus from São Paulo to Olímpia overturned on an SP-326 access ramp early Dec. 24, leaving two dead and dozens injured, and the vehicle was impounded for forensic examination.
• The victims in the bus crash were identified as Bárbara Maria da Costa, 30, and Maitê Chaves de Souza, 3, with several severely injured passengers transferred to hospitals in Ribeirão Preto and the region.
• Operator Viação Grandino said maintenance and documentation were current, reported the bus was off its usual route at high speed, suggested a possible driver medical episode, and noted both drivers tested negative on a breathalyzer.
• In Jaguaré (ES), PRF reports a RAM 250 struck a Palio from behind on BR-101, sending it into oncoming traffic; four members of one family died, documents in the truck led to possible addresses for the fleeing driver, and witnesses indicated excessive speed.
• Separate probes continue after two friends died in a head-on collision on ES-430 in Jaguaré and five members of a family were killed in Reginópolis (SP) when their car was hit from behind by a BMW whose driver refused a breath test.