The young man who was crushed to death by a floating Christmas tree was remembered as a parishioner who loved music and proudly served the Brazilian army.
Vinícius Abreu, 21, was murdered on Monday while he and his companions were installing the Christmas structure in the Araçatiba lagoon in Maricá, a city 60 kilometers east of Rio de Janeiro.
Several workers were standing on the platform when wind gusts exceeding 47 miles per hour toppled the 183-foot-tall tree and crashed it into the water.
Some of the workers were able to get out of the way and could be seen diving in the lagoon.
However, Abreu and two other employees were descending from the tree and were hit by its columns.
Abreu was rushed to the Conde Modesto Leal Hospital and when he arrived he was declared dead.
His two co-workers were taken to the Dr. Ernesto Che Guevara Municipal Hospital, where they were treated for bruises and later discharged.
Abreu was an only child and lived with his parents in the city of Mesquita, in Rio de Janeiro, his family said.
He attended a local evangelical church and played several instruments, including the piano.
Former Brazilian army soldier Vinícius Abreu died on Monday when a metal structure that looked like a Christmas tree fell in Maricá, Brazil. Friends and family remembered him as a 21-year-old man who attended his local evangelical church and loved music, especially playing the piano. Two co-workers were injured in the accident
Officials said the 183-foot-tall Christmas tree was toppled by wind gusts that exceeded 47 miles per hour.
Abreu was a member of the Brazilian military before retiring for personal reasons.
I was studying systems analysis and was in the process of looking for a full-time job.
Raphael Motta told Brazilian outlet UOL that he met Abreu in 2019 and had been hanging out with the same group of friends since 2021.
Abreu, Motta said, had been hired as a temporary worker by the company that was installing the Christmas tree and never expressed concern for his safety.
“Everyone is devastated and trying to keep faith that he is with God now,” Motta said.
“When his mother saw me with another friend of ours, she broke down,” he added. ‘He was always very intelligent and had a good capacity for storing information. “It is an irreparable loss.”
Abreu left the Brazilian army for personal reasons. He was studying systems analysis and was in the process of looking for a full-time job while working temporarily at the company that was hired by the city of Maricá to install a floating metal structure that looked like a Christmas tree.
The mayor of Maricá announced that they will not proceed with the installation of another floating Christmas tree
Abreu’s funeral was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
“He was such a good boy, he didn’t deserve this,” another friend said. “He was a young kid and a very nice guy.”
The mayor of Maricá, Fabiano Horta, mourned the death of dos Santos and said that authorities had issued a warning in response to the storm that hit the region.
‘Our teams reported strong winds from the beginning. However, the winds that hit the city exceeded 77 kilometers per hour,’ Horta said in a statement.
‘This is very unusual. It was a violent storm that culminated in this fatality. We are in a state of sadness and, on behalf of the city, we reaffirm our solidarity and full support for Vinícius’ family.’
The floating tree was part of the city’s Christmas display and was due to open on Wednesday.
However, the mayor announced that the decoration will not be lifted from now on and that the company that was contracted to set it up will not be paid.
The tragic incident comes just over a week after a 19-year-old auxiliary police officer died in a similar accident in Girardot, Colombia.
Authorities said Kevin Navas, 19, was standing near the 98-foot-tall metal structure that, built to look like a Christmas tree, crushed him in Bolivar Park.
The group was able to partially lift the structure, while several people used their cell phones to search for the place where Navas was trapped.
Navas was rushed to the San Rafael Dumián Clinic, where he died early Thursday morning due to multiple injuries.