Five Dead in Paraná Crash on Christmas Eve

Five people lost their lives in a tragic traffic accident on the PR-444 highway in Arapongas, located in northern Paraná. The fatal collision occurred late on Monday, December 22, involving a passenger vehicle and a heavy truck.

The victims were all traveling to spend the Christmas holiday with their families. The crash happened at 23:50 and left no survivors. The State Highway Police (PRE) reported that the accident scene was not fully cleared until 06:50 the following morning.

The occupants of the passenger car were identified as a mother and son from Cascavel, along with two other individuals who had secured a ride through a carpooling app. The group was traveling to Londrina to celebrate the festive season with relatives.

The victims in the car included:

• Sônia Regina Favil, 60 years old, a resident of Cascavel and mother of the driver.
• Luan Favil de Souza, 23 years old, the driver and son of Sônia.
• Sandra Luzia Lesczynski, 59 years old, a resident of Cascavel who owned a children's clothing store.
• Arthur Gualberto Lasecki de Camargo, 24 years old, a medical student in Cascavel.

The truck driver was identified as Rodrigo Aparecido dos Santos, 29 years old, a resident of Paiçandu. He had departed from São Paulo carrying a load of beer barrels and was en route to his home to spend Christmas with his wife, son, and mother-in-law.

The accident took place at km 17 of the PR-444. According to the State Highway Police (PRE), the vehicle and the truck were traveling in opposite directions when they collided. Preliminary suspicions from the Fire Department suggest that the truck invaded the opposite lane prior to the impact.

Photographs released by the authorities show that the truck, which was loaded with barrels of chope, overturned. The passenger car was completely destroyed. The PRE noted that the section of the highway where the crash occurred is a straight, double-lane road with a speed limit of 80 km/h. The Civil Police have opened an investigation into the incident.

Family members of Luan and Sônia became concerned when the pair did not arrive in Londrina at the expected time after leaving Cascavel around 18:30. They began making inquiries and were subsequently informed of the tragedy.

Sandra and Arthur were also in the vehicle as passengers. Sandra was planning to travel from Londrina to Rolândia to celebrate the holidays with her mother and sister. Arthur was heading to Cornélio Procópio for a family celebration. The family of the truck driver stated that Rodrigo was excited to make it home for Christmas.