A father-of-three was tragically killed in a horrifying freak accident when he was struck in the neck by a children’s toy whilst en route to visit his daughter.
Brazilian Auriel Missael Henrique, 41, was travelling with his wife on a motorbike in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday when the horrific incident occurred. The couple were heading to see Auriel’s daughter in the town of Duque de Caxias in northern Rio when they collided with what appeared to be an ordinary string hanging across the road.
However, this seemingly innocuous thread was actually from a fighting kite – a popular hobby in Brazil that involves coating the strings of kites with glue and powdered glass to cut the strings of rival kites.
As their motorbike sped along the road, the lethal cord, known locally as linha chilena, became entangled around Auriel’s neck, slicing open his throat and leaving him critically wounded.
According to Brazilian news outlet Globo, Auriel’s niece Gislayne Crisley reported that a passing driver and Auriel’s wife attempted to stem the bleeding and rushed him to a hospital in Nova Iguacu, reports the Mirror.
Sadly, Auriel suffered a cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and passed away before he could receive medical assistance. The motorcycle taxi driver and cook leaves behind three children, aged 21, 19 and six, according to local reports.
Kite fighting, a sport with a long history in Brazil, is causing quite a stir due to its dangerous nature. The game involves flying kites with lethally sharp strings, attempting to cut each other’s kite string through skilled manoeuvring.
Discarded kite strings often result in severe injuries, with motorcyclists being particularly susceptible to serious harm or even death, as was the case with Auriel. In Rio, where the practice is illegal, it leads to over 100 accidents annually, according to the Brazilian Association of Motorcyclists (ABRAM).
ABRAM states that half of all kite-string incidents result in serious injuries, such as scars and mutilations, while a quarter prove fatal. Since 2019, a hotline established to report illegal use has received more than 2,800 reports.
To protect themselves, many motorcyclists install special antennas equipped with razor blades on their bikes’ front, designed to cut any string that might cross their path before it can cause harm.
The sale and use of these razor-sharp lines are already banned in some parts of Brazil, including Rio. Currently, a bill is progressing through the country’s congress aiming to prohibit their manufacture, sale, and use nationwide.
If passed, the proposed law would impose a prison sentence of one to three years and a substantial fine on violators. The bill, approved by the lower house in February last year, is now awaiting a vote in the senate.