Multiple Deadly Road Crashes Across Brazil Kill Cyclists and Motorcyclists

Overview

• A string of fatal collisions across Brazil over the weekend of Oct. 3–4 left multiple cyclists and motorcyclists dead and several people injured, with scenes in Paraná, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and Rio Grande do Sul.
• In Jandaia do Sul a tanker carrying about 25,000 liters of ethanol overturned and ignited, carbonizing a cyclist and sending fuel and firefighting runoff toward a river while firefighters contained the blaze.
• On MG-050 in Itaúna a four-vehicle collision killed a mother and her 2-year-old son after two cars caught fire, and on BR-365 in Nova Ponte a 25-year-old motorcyclist died after colliding with a bitrem truck.
• Authorities completed on-scene rescue and perícia work in most cases, identified some victims such as Cristian Luis Rodrigues and Vinicius Felipe França, and the PRF said it will register the Barra Mansa bicyclist death as homicídio culposo.
• Officials have opened criminal inquiries and will assess environmental damage from the ethanol spill while investigators seek causes such as mechanical failure, driver error or traffic violations and families face sudden loss and medical and forensic procedures.