A tragic incident unfolded in southeastern Brazil when a 13-year-old girl, Fernanda Pacheco Ferraz, lost her life after her head collided with a pole while she was waving at friends from a moving bus. The accident occurred on August 16 in Nova Friburgo, a city nestled in the Serra do Mar mountains, approximately 60 miles northeast of Rio de Janeiro.
Ferraz was a student at Professor Carlos Côrtes State College and was on her way home when the incident took place. According to eyewitness accounts, she was seated in the last left-side seat of the bus and leaned out the window to bid farewell to her schoolmates on the sidewalk.
The bus driver, in an attempt to avoid oncoming traffic, swerved the vehicle, causing Ferraz’s head to strike a concrete pole near the curb. Passengers on the bus quickly alerted the driver, who halted the vehicle and awaited the arrival of first responders.
Despite the immediate response, Ferraz was pronounced dead at the scene by firefighters. The bus driver explained that the road, Rua Luiz Catarcione, was particularly narrow, forcing him to swerve away from a vehicle on the right side of the bus, leading to the unfortunate collision with the pole.
The Rio de Janeiro State Department of Education expressed deep regret over the incident. In a statement, they mourned the loss of the student from State College Professor Carlos Côrtes and extended their condolences to her family and the school community.
The bus company, Nova Faol, also expressed their sorrow over the tragic incident and pledged to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation. The driver, a 13-year veteran of the company, had promptly alerted both the authorities and the company’s management following the accident.
Classes at the State College were suspended for two days to allow the community to grieve Ferraz’s untimely passing. The young girl was laid to rest at the Trilha do Céu cemetery.