Motorcycle accidents are overloading the São José do Avaí Hospital in Itaperuna, in Northwestern Fluminense, which is the regional reference for trauma care. The hospital faces increased demand for surgeries, beds, and blood banks due to the high number of motorcycle accident victims. In Itaperuna, motorcycles and mopeds represent 41.07% of the city's vehicle fleet.
The newspaper team visited the hospital on the day that orthopedist and traumatologist Gabriel Pillar operated on physical therapist Gizelia Lemos, 45 years old, a victim of a motorcycle accident. She fractured her femur after being hit by a car at an intersection, about 200 meters from her home.
Gizelia has been riding motorcycles since she was 17 and uses the vehicle for almost all daily activities, including transportation to work and to take her son to places. According to the victim's own account, the car driver did not notice her approach at the intersection. After surgery, Gizelia will need to undergo a long recovery period.
