Box truck driver killed in three-vehicle crash on Rio-Santos highway in Mangaratiba, Brazil.
NEWS:
A box truck driver was killed and two other drivers were seriously injured in a crash involving two trucks and a motorcycle on the Rio-Santos highway, part of Brazil's BR-101, on May 20, 2026.
The collision happened late Wednesday morning in the coastal area around Mangaratiba, in Rio de Janeiro state. Information attributed to Brazil's Federal Highway Police identified the vehicles as a box truck, another cargo truck and a motorcycle.
Footage published with this article records the crash itself and the moment of impact involving the vehicles. The video directly confirms that the collision occurred, but the images alone do not establish why it happened or which factor caused the crash.
The driver of the box truck died at the scene. The drivers of the other truck and the motorcycle suffered serious injuries, according to information attributed to the Federal Highway Police. Their identities were not publicly released in the reporting reviewed.
Initial information placed the crash at approximately 00:11:30 a.m. near kilometer 450 of BR-101 in Mangaratiba. A report published the following day gave a slightly different location and time, placing the collision at about 00:11:50 a.m. near kilometer 456, in the Figueira area of Conceição de Jacareí, near the boundary between Angra dos Reis and Mangaratiba.
Because no primary public record was found that resolves that discrepancy, the exact kilometer cannot be stated more narrowly with certainty.
The later account also reported that the box truck driver became trapped in the wreckage and died at the scene. The two seriously injured drivers were taken for treatment at Hospital Municipal Victor de Souza Breves in Mangaratiba. They were reported to still be hospitalized the following morning, but no updated medical condition was released.
Emergency operations involved the Federal Highway Police, firefighters, emergency medical crews and personnel responsible for the highway. Rescue teams worked at the scene while the road remained blocked and the damaged vehicles were dealt with.
Both directions of the Rio-Santos highway were completely closed after the crash. Initial reporting placed the full closure at about 00:11:30 a.m.
Traffic began moving again under a stop-and-go system at approximately 1 p.m., with vehicles alternating through the affected section while emergency work continued. A later traffic update reported that the highway was fully reopened in both directions at 00:4:34 p.m.
A report published the next morning said rain had been affecting the Costa Verde region and described the roadway as wet and slippery. It raised weather conditions as a possible contributing factor, but no official determination has established rain, speed, mechanical failure, driver error or any other specific cause of the collision.
The available video confirms the crash itself, but it does not establish motive, responsibility or a definitive cause. No verified public finding reviewed for this report assigned fault to any of the three drivers.
News story written by DarkGore.
For more on this case:
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