A tragic accident on the morning of July 16 claimed the lives of a family of three on the CE-060 highway between Caririaçu and Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará. Hérida Nascimento da Silva, Sebastião Cícero Gomes, and their 3-year-old son, Miguel, were traveling from Várzea Alegre to Juazeiro do Norte for Miguel’s surgery.

According to TV Verdes Mares and the Ceará Military Fire Department, their vehicle lost control around 7 a.m. and plunged into a stream near Sítio Piripiri. “The water was approximately five meters deep,” which made rescue efforts extremely difficult and ultimately unsuccessful.

Authorities are still investigating the crash. There are concerns about the safety of that highway stretch, with locals questioning whether poor road conditions played a role.

What was meant to be a hopeful trip for a child’s medical care turned into a heartbreaking loss, devastating the community.

The memory of Hérida, Sebastião, and little Miguel lives on, as locals mourn and call for better road safety to prevent future tragedies.