A 20-year-old influencer died on Thursday night (2) in an accident involving three vehicles on BR-381, near Belo Oriente, in the Rio Doce region. Gleissomn Nascimento Araújo, known as ‘Sorriso’, had more than 100 thousand followers on social media and shared content about cars and motorcycles. The influencer’s driver, aged 26, also died in the accident.
The influencer, driver Franklin Silveira and a friend, aged 27, were in a Toyota Corolla that was pulling a trailer with a jet ski. According to preliminary information, the influencer’s car had entered the opposite lane and collided head-on with a truck coming in the opposite direction. A Fiat Strada that was coming right behind the Corolla was unable to avoid it and also hit the influencer’s car.
Upon impact, the truck overturned and spilled a load of granulated lime onto the road. Both the Strada driver and the truck driver were uninjured. In the Toyota Corolla, the influencer, who would have turned 21 on Monday (6), and the driver died. Another passenger, aged 27, was trapped in the wreckage with a broken leg and other injuries, and was taken to Hospital Márcio Cunha, in Ipatinga.
According to people close to him, ‘Sorriso’ spent the May 1st holiday in Governador Valadares, celebrating a friend’s birthday. He was heading to Belo Horizonte. On social media, he even published a photo inside the car, shortly before the accident, with the caption ‘God bless our trip’.
Influencer published photo at the beginning of the trip
Reproduction/Social media
The body of driver Franklin Silveira will be buried in Itabirito, in the Central region of Minas. The influencer must be buried in Rondon do Pará (PA), his hometown. The influencer’s family crowdfunds online to raise the amount needed to transport the body.
