Actress cleared in case of fatal tourist collision in Recoleta

A court has dismissed the case against actress and restaurateur Patricia Scheuer, who fatally struck a Brazilian tourist and injured his partner in Buenos Aires' Recoleta neighborhood on New Year's Day 2025. The Chamber of Criminal Cassation upheld the dismissal initially granted by Judge Martín Peluso on May 20.

Sources close to the case informed LA NACION that the court's decision was based on the exclusion of factors that could have compromised Scheuer's diligent driving. The ruling stated that the most compatible explanation with the gathered evidence was a focal epileptic episode experienced while driving on Avenida Del Libertador. This episode, lasting at least 20 seconds, significantly altered her self-determination, the judges noted.

While not confirming a complete loss of consciousness, the court found the episode sufficient to exclude final control over the vehicle. This prevented her from voluntarily adjusting her behavior to reality, leading to the severe injuries of Cleusa Adriana Nunes Pombo and the death of Fernando Pereira De Amorim Junior. With other potential causes ruled out, the absence of voluntary action was deemed the only legally sustainable conclusion.

Scheuer's lawyer, Alfredo Huber, told LA NACION that the events and their cause were reconstructed. He stated that Patricia deeply regrets what happened, calling it a tragedy for everyone involved. Judges Pablo Lucero and Rodolfo Pociello Argerich presided over the appeal filed by the legal representatives of Nunes Pombo and the son of the deceased victim.