Biker Dies Almost Decapitated by Towing Cable Stretched Across Road

A truly bizarre accident that claimed a life of an unsuspecting biker happened in Jaboticabal – a municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

After a truck fell into a ravine, a tow truck was called to pull it out of there. The winch operator parked his tow truck on the opposite side of the road, stretched a rope across and tightened it to prepare for towing. Yet despite having the steel cable stretched across the entire width of the road at the height of an average sized man’s neck, nothing was used to signal the passing traffic that there was a potentially dangerous barrier on the road.

It didn’t take too long for a random biker to show up and exactly what you’d expect to happen when you stretch a cable across a road, happened. Except that no part of it was funny. The biker was almost decapitated but even though his head stayed on during the back flip, the injuries sustained were fatal. Only after the fatality did the winch operator finally place a few cones on the road.

The victim was just 25 years old. His name was José Aparecido Ferreira. He was taken to a hospital but there was nothing they could do to save him.

The Civil Police launched an investigation for manslaughter (caused death but with no intent to kill) against the towing company. The owner of the company, which operates out of Araraquara, São Paulo, insists that the site was flagged.