A hug after the crash: the story behind the image that moved the country Away from work because of shoulder inflammation, bricklayer Sílvio spent part of the day watching, on television at home, the images from Camboriú's monitoring cameras. That's how he witnessed, live, a crash between two cars. He thought he would witness another traffic fight. Instead, he saw a hug between the drivers — a scene that ended up going viral on social media. "What caught my attention was that I thought they were going to come down and fight, like a lot of people do. But it wasn't. It was different," he said. The images show the moment a car hits the back of another on a busy avenue. Instead of an argument, the drivers greet and hug each other for about 32 seconds. "It's the opposite, right? And that's how it has to be. There has to be friendship in traffic, not fights", said the construction worker. Impressed by the scene, Sílvio called his wife, Salete, to watch the video. She recorded the images shown on television with her cell phone and sent it to a family group. Afterwards, the couple's daughter, Silvana, posted it on social media. The images gained thousands of shares and resonated across the country. "We're going to pass this on so that it serves as an example for other people," said Silvana. The protagonists of the story are businessman Paulo Amaral, 37, and tax inspector and pastor Eduardo Santos, 34. After the collision, Paulo noticed that the other driver was shaken and decided to offer a hug. Afterwards, the two still talked and said a prayer together. Days later, they met again and said that their friendship was born precisely from that accident. For Sílvio, the episode showed that it is still possible to react differently in traffic. "We always expect the worst. This time, it was a lesson in respect and humanity", he summarized. The story behind the video Fantástico spoke to the two drivers featured in the video to find out the story behind the gesture. In the report, businessman Paulo Amaral, 37, said that he noticed that the other driver was emotionally shaken as soon as they both got out of the cars. "When I left, I came close to him and greeted him. I saw that he was not well", he recalled. The driver of the other vehicle was Eduardo Santos, 34 years old, a tax inspector at Camboriú City Hall and a pastor. According to him, the accident happened at a difficult time in his life. "I lost my father some time ago and, in those days, I was still experiencing great sadness. Furthermore, I had everyday problems, financial difficulties and some arguments at home", he said. Upon hearing the outburst, Paulo decided to act in an unusual way. "I said: 'My brother, do you want a hug?'. While he didn't let go, I didn't let go either," he said. But the story didn't end there. After parking the cars, the two continued talking on the sidewalk. Paulo said he felt like making another welcoming gesture. "I asked him if he wanted me to pray for him. I said a prayer for his life and for everything he was going through." The losses from the crash were resolved by the vehicle insurance. For the two drivers, however, the episode ended up being much bigger than a simple accident. The images went viral on social media precisely because they showed an opposite reaction to the scenes of violence in traffic that have become frequent in the country. The video was recorded by monitoring cameras and initially shared by city residents. Days later, the two drivers met again. "A great friendship was born", they summarized. Hugs caught by a security camera in Camboriú, Santa Catarina. Reproduction GloboPop: click to see videos from the Fantástico stage Listen to the Fantástico podcasts ISSO É FANTÁSTICO The Isso É Fantástico podcast is available on g1 and the main podcast apps, bringing great reports, investigations and fascinating stories on podcasts with the Fantástico journalism seal: depth, context and information. of favorite podcasts. Every Sunday there is a new episode.