Hero teen saves baby whose parents were electrocuted by downed power line in ice storm
A teenager in Oregon is being hailed as a hero for putting herself in danger to help save the life of a 9-month-old baby.
Majiah Washington, 18, said she was inside her home in Portland on Wednesday when she saw a flash outside her window.
Washington said after looking outside, she saw a car with a downed power line on top of it, and man and a woman who had been trying to put their child in the car.
"The baby's mom was yelling to the man, 'Take my baby out of the car. Take my baby out of the car,'" Washington recalled at a press conference Thursday at the headquarters of Portland Fire & Rescue.
The state of Oregon was hit by a dangerous winter storm this week, resulting in at least 10 deaths and leading the governor to issue a statewide emergency, according to The Associated Press.
In the Portland neighborhood where Washington lives, a large tree branch, weighed down by ice and snow from the storm, fell, knocking the power line on the top of the car belonging to relatives of Washington's neighbor.
Washington said she watched from her window as the baby's father then attempted to walk up an icy hill with the child, before slipping and falling backwards. The bottom of the man's foot then touched the power line, according to Washington, who said she saw a small fire and smoke.
The baby's mom then ran over to help her partner and child, but also slipped and touched the power line, according to Washington, who said she ran outside and called 911 when the man fell backwards.
Washington said she then watched as a third person, the woman's 15-year-old brother, also ran over to help, only to slip and touch the power line as well.
All three people -- the woman, her partner and her brother -- died as a result of being electrocuted, according to Portland Fire & Rescue.
"I didn't know what to think. It just all happened so fast," Washington said Thursday, adding, "I was concerned about the baby. No one was moving."
Washington said almost immediately after, she saw the baby's head move and "knew he was still here." Despite what she had just witnessed, she said she walked on the driveway to reach the baby.
"I slid down there, kind of crouched," Washington said, noting that she briefly made contact with the baby's father, but did not feel a shock herself. "I kind of touched him with my hands and then I just kind of grabbed the baby out of his hands and made my way back up the hill."
Washington said the 911 operator she spoke to warned her about the risk of electrocution, but she said she could only think about the baby's safety.
"The only thing I could think about was that he was still here," she said. "He had moved his head and I didn't want him to possibly fall somehow ... and touch the wire."
Portland Fire and Rescue spokesman Rick Graves described Washington's efforts as "heroic."
"We do have fortunately with us a [child] that is going to be able to thrive and do what they possibly can as they move forward," Graves said Thursday. "And they are here, in part, because of the heroic acts of a member of our community."
Tajaliayh Briggs, 21, was identified as the woman who died, along with her 15-year-old brother Ta'Ron Briggs. The name of the baby's father, who also died, has not been publicly released, according to local ABC affiliate KATU-TV.
Ta'Ron and Tajaliayh Briggs's father told KATU the family is not yet ready to speak publicly.
