Street Reverb Magazine

I know it’s been awhile since this tragedy took place, but only today I saw those posts about him is HCSP… and I’d like to share some information I, as his nephew, have of his life… as well as some good news.

Firstly, I’d like to thank in the name of family Linhares for all the sweet messages. Although not born in our family, he was indeed an important part of it.

Hugo had already lived in Brazil earlier, for about two years, so he knew how to speak portuguese… and quite well! Barely any accent. He spoke like a true brazilian, of which he was very proud. Still, it was not during this first stay that he met his wife – my aunt/my dad’s sister, who is brazilian and whom he met in France, as she was a psychology professor at Paris 7. They were already together when he decided to quit his job to dedicate himself entirely to photography and family. Their son, Arthur Léglise-Bataille Frazão Soares Linhares, was born in January 2009. They bought a new, larger appartment together near a park so as to raise him there. On 2010, they decided to spend the next year in Rio de Janeiro with my family, who is very fond of him. My aunt worked double during that year so that she could vacation for the whole 2011.

During the weekend between March 11th-13th, they and another aunt of mine hired a van and went for a weekend in Teresópolis – a touristic town about 2 hours from Rio – with their children.
On March 13th, around 4 p.m., as they were on their way back, a reinless small truck driving in the opposite lane for reasons I’d rather not know hit their van in in the front. Out of the 9 people in the van, 7 died almost instantly.Those were the two drivers, both my aunts, Hugo, my cousin (not Hugo’s son, though) and my second-grandmother – a maid who lived with my grandparents for almost half a century, and who raised their children and grandchildren. Those of my family, including Hugo, were buried in Cemitério do Caju on Wednesday.

The two survivors of the accident – not including those in the truck – were the daughter of this other aunt of mine and Arthur, who was at the time very seriously injured. He had a pretty severe cranial trauma, but has not only made out of it alive but has recovered very well in these past three months. There don’t seem to be any irrevesible injuries, as there was no relevant loss of brain tissue. Hugo’s legacy carries on in him, as well as in our hearts.

My thoughts go out to the friends and family of all those involved.

very sad news…
rest in peace Hugo