Portuguese 
Truck was carrying a large cargo when the load struck the support of the footbridge in Vargem, São Paulo; mother and son died in the impacted vehicle, another driver had to be rescued by helicopter, and the BR-381 was blocked for over 12 hours
A camera installed on the Fernão Dias Highway captured the few seconds that turned the traffic on BR-381 into a tragedy. A truck transporting a large cargo hit the support of a footbridge, causing approximately 70 tons of concrete to fall onto vehicles traveling in the opposite direction.
The accident occurred on August 18, 2026, at around 10:24 AM, near kilometer 4.1 in Vargem, São Paulo. The structure struck a Volkswagen Virtus occupied by 63-year-old Rosângela Carlos Soares Chaves and her 40-year-old son Douglas Soares Quaresma, who both died at the scene.
The collapse shut down one of the main road connections between São Paulo and Minas Gerais, necessitated an operation involving five cranes and two tow trucks, and caused traffic jams that reached 23 kilometers. Another truck driver was trapped in the wreckage and needed to be transported by helicopter to a hospital.
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Camera Shows Load Hitting Footbridge During Overtaking Maneuver
The monitoring system images show the truck approaching the footbridge while carrying another large truck described by the driver as an off-road vehicle used in quarries and mining operations.
According to police investigations, the truck was heading towards Minas Gerais when the driver attempted to overtake another vehicle. During the maneuver, the top part of the transported load struck the central support area of the footbridge.
The impact was sufficient to almost immediately compromise the structure. In the footage, large sections of concrete begin to give way and fall onto the lanes in a matter of seconds, leaving the drivers coming in the opposite direction no time to react.
Structure Fell onto the Car Occupied by Mother and Son
Traveling in the opposite direction was the Volkswagen Virtus occupied by Rosângela and Douglas. The vehicle was directly hit by part of the footbridge that collapsed onto the road heading towards São Paulo.
Both were residents of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. Douglas worked as a sales representative in the optical sector and was traveling to São Paulo to attend a trade fair related to his profession.
According to family reports, Douglas stopped by his mother’s house before the trip and invited her to accompany him. Rosângela accepted the invitation, and the two traveled together on the Fernão Dias shortly before the accident.
Rosângela Was 63 Years Old and Douglas Was a Father to a 6-Year-Old Child
Rosângela was 63 years old and worked as a hairdresser. Douglas was 40, married, and a father to a six-year-old child.
After the accident, the bodies were sent to the Medical Legal Institute in Bragança Paulista and later taken to Belo Horizonte, where funeral services and burial took place.
The footage captured by the camera makes the tragedy even more impactful because it shows that, seconds before the collapse, traffic was flowing normally in both directions on the highway.
Another truck driver got trapped and had to be rescued by helicopter
Besides the vehicle where the mother and son were, another truck was also hit during the footbridge collapse.
The driver was trapped in the wreckage and needed to be rescued by emergency teams. After the rescue, he was taken by the Águia helicopter to the Bragança Paulista University Hospital.
Initially, his condition was treated as serious. However, recovery was positive, and the truck driver was discharged from the hospital the morning after the accident.
Footbridge weighed approximately 70 tons
The size of the structure made the debris removal a complex operation. According to information released after the accident, the two large segments of the footbridge weighed between 30 and 40 tons each, totaling approximately 70 tons overall.
To remove the concrete blocks, the concessionaire mobilized five cranes, two tow trucks, and teams for rescue, engineering, operations, and maintenance.
Before lifting, it was necessary to check the stability of the remaining structure, shut down the power in the area, and define safe points for moving the massive pieces over the highway.
Traffic jams reached 23 kilometers on the Fernão Dias
Initial updates indicated traffic congestion of approximately 12 and 13 kilometers. However, as the blockage continued, the queues grew throughout the day.
At the most critical moment, about 23 kilometers of slow traffic were reported towards Belo Horizonte and 15 kilometers heading to São Paulo.
Drivers had to use alternative routes through local municipalities while teams worked on removing the footbridge and cleaning the roadway.
Highway was blocked for more than 12 hours
The lane towards São Paulo was cleared around 7:54 PM. The full clearance to Belo Horizonte only occurred around 10:34 PM.
In practice, the accident kept sections of the Fernão Dias highway blocked for over 12 hours and continued to cause traffic disruptions throughout the night.
The traffic jams only completely disappeared hours after the wreckage was cleared, highlighting the extent of the impact on one of the busiest routes between São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
Investigation revealed load exceeding authorized dimensions
The Civil Police began investigating the conditions under which the transport was carried out and whether all required authorizations for that load were being adhered to.
According to information released by the lead investigator, initial findings indicated that the truck being transported had a height and lateral dimension excess beyond what was authorized.
The investigation also started to analyze the operation’s documentation, the conditions of the route, and whether the transport should have included additional safety measures or monitoring during transit.
Driver said he had passed other structures without issues
The truck driver, Deyvidson Temudo de Oliveira, 42, stated during questioning that he had departed from Santos on the São Paulo coast and had passed other bridges, overpasses, and footbridges before reaching Vargem.
According to his account, he believed the height of the load was compatible with the route and did not foresee that the truck being transported could hit the structure.
A breathalyzer test showed a negative result. Initial investigation reports also indicated no evidence of speeding at the time of the accident.
Court converted the driver’s arrest to preventive detention
After receiving treatment for minor injuries, the driver was taken to the police station and ended up arrested in flagrant.
The case was registered as involuntary manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle and bodily injury while operating a motor vehicle.
The next day, during a custody hearing, the São Paulo court converted the flagrant arrest into preventive detention, keeping the driver in custody while investigations continued.
Truck being transported belongs to XCMG Brasil
Another element identified after the accident was the ownership of the large truck being transported by the truck.
The equipment belongs to XCMG Brasil, a manufacturer of heavy machinery with industrial operations in Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais.
The company stated that it did not directly handle the transport. According to XCMG, the freight had been contracted with a specialized company responsible for the logistics operation and transport of the equipment.
Fall exposed the risks of heavy load operations within seconds
The accident involved several high-impact elements in just a few seconds: a load of large dimensions, a structure weighing dozens of tons, heavy traffic in both directions, and drivers who had virtually no opportunity to react.
After the debris removal, the concessionaire announced that it had begun technical studies to determine the replacement of the footbridge.
As of the public information released so far, there was still no definitive date for the installation of a new structure in the area.
