A has died after colliding with his friend’s dad in a freak accident, just minutes after confessing he was “scared” to fly.
Horror footage shows 32-year-old Lucas Ribeiro Macedo tangled in the second man’s in mid-air. Both can be seen plummeting to the ground before disappearing behind a building. Paramedics arrived at the scene and tried to revive Lucas, but their efforts were in vain. Minutes before taking to the skies, Lucas had posted a video to social media talking about how apprehensive he was.
He said: “How am I feeling? Scared as hell. I haven’t flown in ages, my stomach’s in knots, heart racing like crazy, but let’s go.” Earlier, he’d told his followers that he’d woken up that morning with “butterflies” in his stomach.
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But he said he was excited to go again, recalling: “It’s been almost a year since I last flew.” His friend’s father, Fábio Donizete da Silva, landed on top of the building during the tragic fall. The 55-year-old was taken to a local hospital in Guarujá, south-east of São Paulo, . He dislocated his arm in the accident but is reported to be doing well.
The incident happened on Monday (7 October) afternoon. The men collided shortly after jumping from the Morro do Maluf hill - a popular launch area. Lt Felipe Brilhante of the Fire Department told local media: “One got tangled up at the top and stayed there, while the other had a free fall all the way to the ground.”
The men had gone paragliding with Fábio’s son Henrique Vargas Silva to celebrate his birthday. Henrique - a paragliding instructor - later recalled seeing Lucas making a turn close to Fábio just before the collision. Henrique, 33, told the police that he’d shouted at Lucas to deploy his reserve chute to no avail.
Lucas was a talented tattoo artist, as reported by He will be laid to rest today (9 October) in nearby São Vicente. He is believed to have left behind a daughter. His family said: “Lucas was a person with an exceptional light who left his mark on many people’s lives and skin.”
