VARGEM, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 18, 2026 Tragic traffic accident occurred on the Fernão Dias Highway (BR-381), claiming two lives. Shortly after 10 a.m., a truck traveling toward Minas Gerais crashed into the central support column of a pedestrian overpass. The structure subsequently collapsed onto the opposite side of the highway.
Falling concrete sections landed directly on a Volkswagen Virtus passenger car carrying 63-year-old Rosangela Carlos Soares Chaves and her 40-year-old son, Douglas Soares Quaresma. Both were from Belo Horizonte and, according to Brazilian media, were traveling toward São Paulo for work. They suffered fatal injuries when the structure fell on the vehicle and died at the scene.
The accident also affected other vehicles. Another truck crashed into the collapsed structure, trapping its driver inside the vehicle. Rescuers had to free him, after which he was transported to a hospital by an Águia helicopter. Another driver suffered minor injuries.
Investigators later determined that, according to preliminary findings, the truck that struck the overpass was carrying a load that was too high and extended too far laterally. Police said 42-year-old driver Deyvidson Temudo de Oliveira was attempting to overtake another vehicle when he struck the structure’s central support column. A breathalyzer test was negative for alcohol, and according to later information, investigators found no signs of excessive speed.
After receiving medical treatment at a hospital, the driver was taken to a police station and detained. He faces charges of negligent manslaughter and negligent bodily injury. The exact circumstances of the accident remain under investigation.
The collapse of the overpass also completely disrupted traffic on the Fernão Dias Highway in both directions for several hours. Police officers, firefighters, rescue workers, and employees of Motiva Minas_SP, the company responsible for managing the highway, responded to the scene. Four cranes were deployed to remove the massive concrete sections.
