Brazilian influencer and nurse Karla Thaynnara died after a motorcycle crash on a major highway in Brasília on Tuesday, an incident that authorities and local media said was followed by the death of her father shortly after he witnessed the aftermath.

Thaynnara, 25, was riding a motorbike on the Estrada Parque Indústria e Abastecimento, known locally as the EPIA, when she lost control after a collision and was then struck by a lorry, according to reporting by Record Brasília’s R7 and other Brazilian outlets.

Police in the Federal District said an investigation had been opened to establish the precise sequence of events, including the movements of the vehicles involved and the circumstances that caused Thaynnara to fall into the path of the lorry. Local reporting said investigators were seeking CCTV and other camera footage from the area to help reconstruct the crash.

In an account published by Correio Braziliense, the lorry driver said he had been travelling in the right lane when he saw the motorbike come down. He said he tried to brake and swerve but could not avoid the collision. The driver told the outlet he believed glare from the sun had impaired his view at the critical moment, describing it as “very strong,” and said he stopped and attempted to help.

R7 reported that Thaynnara had collided with a car moments before the fatal impact with the lorry, and that the lorry driver stopped to provide assistance but she died at the scene.

Authorities have not released a full public account of the crash mechanics, and Brazilian reports have focused on the need for investigators to confirm what happened in the moments between the initial collision and the fatal impact. Local media said the case was being handled by the Civil Police of the Federal District, which is responsible for investigating fatal traffic incidents.

Thaynnara’s father, José Carlos Andrade Nogueira, 53, was described in Brazilian reporting as a retired military police officer. Accounts of his death have differed across reports, but Brazilian outlets said he died soon after the crash after witnessing what had happened to his daughter. R7 reported that he took his own life after seeing the accident.

TMZ, which reported the deaths to an international audience, said Thaynnara’s father died directly after her, describing his death as occurring after he witnessed the accident scene, and citing Brazilian reporting that a senior public security official attended the funeral and referred to the episode as a tragedy.

The deaths prompted an outpouring of grief online in Brazil, where Thaynnara had built a following as a social media personality while also working in healthcare. Brazilian reporting described her as a nurse and influencer, with friends and acquaintances posting tributes and condolences in comment threads and on social platforms as news spread.

R7 reported that Thaynnara was the mother of a seven-year-old daughter and that the shop where she worked closed temporarily as colleagues and friends mourned.

Funeral services for Thaynnara and her father were held on Wednesday at the Campo da Esperança cemetery in Asa Sul, Brasília, according to R7, which said family and friends gathered to pay their respects.

In its coverage, Correio Braziliense described a visibly emotional scene as relatives and friends said goodbye, and reported that the lorry driver, who had stopped at the scene, later spoke publicly about trying to avoid the collision and remaining at the location after the crash.

The case has raised renewed attention in Brasília to the risks faced by motorcyclists on high-speed urban roads, particularly in heavy traffic corridors where cars, lorries and motorbikes mix at close range. Brazilian authorities have long recorded higher fatality rates among riders than among occupants of cars, a pattern attributed to exposure, speed differentials and the limited protection available in a fall.

Investigators are expected to focus on factors such as vehicle positioning, braking distances, road conditions and visibility, including any contribution from sun glare cited by the lorry driver. Brazilian reporting said police were trying to identify all relevant images and data sources that could show the seconds leading up to the crash, a step that can be decisive in determining whether any traffic offences were committed and whether the case involves criminal negligence or is treated as a tragic accident without charges.

For those who followed Thaynnara online, the suddenness of the news was part of the shock. Her social media presence, like that of many Brazilian influencers, blended everyday moments with aspirational content and brand partnerships, and tributes shared by followers and acquaintances described her as warm and close to her family. While many comments reflected raw grief, others turned quickly to questions about what exactly happened on the road and how quickly events unfolded.

Police have not publicly provided a comprehensive timeline, and much of the detail circulating online has come from media reports and witness accounts. Brazilian outlets have urged caution around speculation while the investigation continues, and have emphasised that the objective is to establish a factual reconstruction of the crash sequence based on evidence, including any available footage, witness testimony and technical assessments.

The deaths of Thaynnara and her father have resonated far beyond Brasília, in part because of the intensely personal nature of the second death following the first. Local coverage has portrayed the father-daughter relationship at the centre of the tragedy, and the joint funeral arrangements underscored how closely the two deaths were linked in the public mind.

Authorities have not said how long the investigation will take or whether any findings will be released, but the search for camera footage and the collection of statements are expected to be central early steps. For now, family and friends have been left to mourn a young mother and professional whose life ended on a city highway, and a father who, according to Brazilian reports, died soon after, overwhelmed by what he had witnessed.