The Court of São Carlos (232 km from the city of São Paulo) sentenced motorcyclist Nayan José Sales to 9 years and 4 years in prison, in an initial closed regime, for running over triathlete Luisa Baptista, in December 2023.
The conviction, for attempted murder, was given after a jury held last Wednesday (15).
The defendant will also have to pay compensation of R$30,000 to the victim, as requested in the complaint, in an amount that must be corrected. The defense says it will appeal. Sales was already arrested.
Champion at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, Luisa was hit by a motorcycle on December 23 while cycling along the Abel Terrugi municipal highway (SCA-329), in São Carlos.
The motorcycle collided head-on, on the wrong side of the road, against the athlete’s bike. She suffered fractures to her rib, collarbone and leg, as well as head trauma. In total, there were more than 25 fractures. She spent two months in a coma.
The accident took away the triathlete’s chance to compete in the Paris Olympic Games last year. She was part of her recovery at Rede Lucy Montoro, in the capital of São Paulo. In an interview with Sheet At the time, she already said that there was a lack of education in traffic.
The athlete commented on the court decision on social media. “He was convicted of homicide with possible intent due to the series of infractions he committed,” he stated, in a video published on his Instagram account. “Really, he could have ended my life and for reasons beyond his control, that didn’t happen.”
Luísa stated in the recording that she is not just fighting for her case, but recalled that there are countless cyclists who die in traffic because of errors and infractions committed by drivers.
“For me it has to be simple, the law has to change. From the moment a person commits a traffic violation and runs over someone, they assume the risk and that is what possible intent is,” he stated.
According to her, if a person commits an offense like the one she was involved in, they must be convicted. “You may not intend to kill someone, but you take the risk,” he said. “I had a happy ending, but that’s not what happens to other cyclists.”
Three days ago, Luísa paid tribute to the physiotherapists and said that she is still undergoing treatment.
