Copacabana car crash: Mercedes Vaz Sasson, 98, dies; five hurt in Rio
Mercedes Vaz Sasson, 98, died late on November 11, 2026, at Miguel Couto Municipal Hospital, in Gávea. She had been struck earlier that day on the sidewalk of Rua Siqueira Campos, in Copacabana, South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, by an out-of-control Honda WR-V. She suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest at the hospital and did not survive.
Security cameras recorded the car leaving the lane, climbing the sidewalk and driving into the front of a clothing store. Four people on the sidewalk or inside the shop were hit. The two women in the car were also hurt in the impact. The Fire Department (Corpo de Bombeiros) was called at 5:50 p.m. and sent medical help to the victims.
Investigators weigh a pedal error against a sudden medical episode
The Civil Police are trying to establish why the Honda WR-V lost control on Rua Siqueira Campos. The main line of inquiry is whether the driver, Carmen Silva Simonetti, 80, pressed the accelerator by mistake after confusing the pedals, or whether she suffered a sudden medical episode at the wheel. Carmen was taken to Miguel Couto, where she was admitted, and her caregiver Carla Dias Antunes da Silva, 42, who was in the passenger seat, was also hurt. The hospital where Carla was treated had not been confirmed by health authorities as of the morning of November 12.
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Where the other injured people were treated
Besides Mercedes Vaz Sasson and the two women in the car, three other people were hurt in the area reached by the vehicle. Bruno Jorge Vaz Sasson, 64, was walking on the sidewalk when the car came up onto it, and he was admitted to Miguel Couto.
Anna Paula de Sousa Borges Barbosa, 39, was working inside the store when the car crashed in, and she was also taken to Miguel Couto. Neuza Belagurada de Oliveira, 85, was on the sidewalk and was admitted to São Lucas Hospital, in Copacabana.
Clothing shop front destroyed after the car crashed in
The car came to a stop only after crossing the sidewalk and reaching the interior of the clothing store. Part of Rua Siqueira Campos, between Rua Barata Ribeiro and Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana, was closed during the emergency care, and one lane was reopened at 6:45 p.m.
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One of the store’s co-owners recorded images of the damage after the victims were helped. In the video, she said, “The window is practically destroyed, with glass everywhere.” The case was sent to the 12th Police Station in Copacabana (12ª DP), which is responsible for the investigation. The Civil Police have not released a deadline for the expert examination of the vehicle and the store, and the wake and burial times for Mercedes Vaz Sasson have not been confirmed.
