Driver dies after car falls into the Tamanduateí River in an accident on Avenida do Estado

The driver of a white Fiat Abarth died after his vehicle crashed into Rio Tamanduateí, in the central region of São Paulo, in an accident involving 3 cars in Avenida of Estado. The collision occurred at 4:39 am in the direction of Marginal Tietê, below Ponte of Glicério. The victim was trapped in the hardware of the submerged vehicle and was confirmed dead by Corpo of Bombeiros after an operation that lasted more than 5 hours.

Circunstâncias of the accident and those involved

Segundo the police report, the driver of Fiat Abarth was speeding when he made a prohibited turn and collided with 2 other vehicles. One of them was a black Gol driven by Luiz Almeida Pires, aged 25, which was hit from behind and did not suffer serious injuries, remaining at the scene of the accident. The third vehicle involved, an Corsa Classic, was the one that fell into the river with its driver.

The driver of Corsa has not yet been identified and is approximately 60 years old. Ele remained trapped inside the vehicle after falling into the water. Rescue teams had to use 2 tow trucks to remove the car, as the body was stuck in the wreckage. The initial work to remove the vehicle was suspended so that the body could first be removed from the wreckage before lifting the car.

Operação rescue and death confirmation

At a press conference, captain Karoline Magalhães, spokesperson for Corpo of Bombeiros, reported details of the operation:

• A male victim was located in the driver’s seat of the Corsa
• The body was trapped in the wreckage of the submerged vehicle.
• Firefighters confirmed that the driver was alone in the vehicle.
• Equipes planned to check trunks and under seats to rule out other victims
• Dois tow trucks were needed to remove the car

The captain explained that the procedure was modified during the operation because the driver was trapped in the wreckage. Isso demanded that the body be removed before completely lifting the vehicle, which extended the rescue operation time by approximately 5 hours.

Investigação in progress

Technical expertise was called in to investigate the circumstances of the accident. Ainda has not been confirmed whether the death occurred during the collision or whether the driver drowned after falling into the river. Pedro Henrique Correia, identified as having caused the accident, refused to take a breathalyzer test, left the scene and was taken to Instituto Médico Legal (IML) for a clinical examination for drunkenness. Authorities continue to investigate all the details of what happened.