Four Family Members Dead in Car Crash in Minas Gerais State

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Four people from the same family died in an accident in the early hours of Sunday, January 12th, on the BR-116 highway, near Itaobim in Minas Gerais state.

According to the Federal Highway Police, a car went offroad and collided with a truck coming in the opposite direction, about 4:45 AM.

Still according to PRF, there were five people from the same family in the car. The driver was a woman, her husband was in the passenger seat and their three daughters in the back seat of the vehicle.

The couple and one of their daughters died at the scene. The bodies were sent to the Medical-Legal Institute in Theophilus Otoni.

The other two daughters were rescued in critical condition by Emergency Medical Services (SAMU) and rushed to hospital in Itaobim, but one of them died after being admitted.

The other daughter is hospitalized at Vale do Jequitinhonha Hospital, but the institution stated it only discloses the patients’ health condition to family members.

The PRF reported that the family had left Paraíba for the interior of São Paulo, and it is suspected that the driver fell asleep behind the wheel.

The victims are:

Érika Cristina Araújo, 38 years old
Afonso da Silva Gomes, 48 years old
Luiza Cristina Araújo Gomes, 11 years old
Izabela Caroline Araújo Gomes, 18 years old
Teenager Maria Eduarda Araújo Gomes, 15, remains in hospital.

The truck that was hit was traveling from Minas Gerais to Bahia carrying various products. The truck driver was not injured.