Two young women struck and killed by a speeding car in São Caetano
Both 18-year-old women died after being struck and killed at high speed. The driver is being investigated for intentional homicide
Two 18-year-old women, identified as Isabela Priel Regis and Isabelli Helena de Lima Costa, died on the night of Wednesday, April 9, after being struck by a speeding vehicle in São Caetano do Sul, Greater São Paulo. The tragic incident occurred at 10:55 p.m. on Avenida Goiás, one of the city's main arteries, in the Santo Antônio neighborhood.
Surveillance cameras from the Emergency Management Center (CGE) captured the exact moment of the accident. The images show the young women crossing the pedestrian crossing when they were struck by a Honda Civic driven by Brendo dos Santos Sampaio, 26, a law student. The victims were thrown more than 50 meters by the force of the impact and died at the scene.
According to the police report, the pedestrian light was red at the time of the crossing. However, another camera shows that the vehicle light was yellow. The driver's defense attorney claims that the light was green for him and that he did not see the young women crossing the road.
Brendo told the Military Police that he was driving "a little over the speed limit," which is 60 km/h. He stated that his speed was between 60 and 70 km/h, although he could not specify the exact speed limit. The breathalyzer test was negative, and a second test was conducted at the Forensic Medical Institute (IML), the result of which has not yet been released.
The case was registered as intentional homicide, as the police report indicates that the driver assumed the risk of causing harm by engaging in highly dangerous behavior.
A key witness reported that the Honda Civic appeared to be racing another vehicle. He said that, moments before the accident, the car pulled up alongside another car at a traffic light in front of a supermarket. When the light turned green, both sped off, making "tire noise," and accelerated as if participating in a street race.
Shortly afterward, the witness saw the young women's bodies on the ground and the Honda Civic stopped near the scene of the accident, with severe visible damage.
The victims had left a winery together after celebrating the fact that one of them would start a new job the following week. According to family members, they had been inseparable friends since high school. "They went to school together and... they died together," said Claudilene Helena de Lima, Isabelli's mother, with deep sorrow.
Specialists such as Luiz Vicente Figueira de Mello, a researcher in the Transportation Engineering department at Unicamp, attribute part of the problem to the high level of traffic distraction. "The accident doesn't occur solely because of one person's inattention, but because of the combination of many risky behaviors simultaneously," he explained.
The case is being investigated by the 1st Police District of São Caetano do Sul.