After the baby boy’s parents were electrocuted by a power line during an ice storm in Oregon, a US teen has been praised as a hero for saving him.
On Wednesday, Majiah Washington, 18, who was inside her home, saw his parents were both taken aback by the line and hurried outside to see how the nine-month-old was doing.
After the boy’s parents and uncle perished after they slipped and touched the wire, she hauled him to safety.
In Oregon, the storm is to blame for at least ten fatalities.
- With icy rain and daily power outages, the wintery onslaught prompted the governor to declare a state of emergency on Thursday.
During the storm, Ms. Washington claimed to have seen a flash outside her Portland home. Peering out her window, she saw a downed power line resting atop an SUV.
After that, she saw the boy’s father get out of the car and attempt to walk the child up the icy driveway, but he slipped on the ice and hit the fallen power line with his foot.
Tajaliayh Briggs, the baby’s 21-year-old mother, attempted to help the boy but slipped and got electrocuted by the power line. The Associated Press reports that Ms. Briggs was six months pregnant at the time of the incident.
Ta’Ron Briggs, the mother’s 15-year-old brother, ran outside to assist after hearing the disturbance. He also inadvertently touched the wire from the freezing .
According to a statement from Portland Fire and Rescue, “the individuals affected were occupants of the SUV and exited the vehicle following the branch bringing the live power line down upon their vehicle.”
“The individuals became a part of the active electrical circuit that caused their deaths when their bodies touched the car and their feet touched the ground.”
According to Ms. Washington, she was speaking with an emergency dispatch operator when she noticed the child move. Despite what she had just seen, she responded to save him out of instinct.
At a press conference, she said to reporters, “I just thought, I have a nephew myself, I have little brothers, I would want somebody to do the same thing, I would hope somebody would do the same thing.”
“I squatted down, sort of slid, and I used my hands to break my fall. My hands landed on top of his father, though, and I just grabbed the baby,” Ms. Washington recalled. “I walked him up the hill, swaddling him and pulling him up.”
The child is doing well after being checked out at the hospital.
Portland Fire and Rescue spokesperson Rick Graves stated he was unsure of how neither Ms. Washington nor the infant avoided electrocution. Her actions were deemed “heroic” by him.
“We are fortunate to have a child who will be able to flourish and achieve their full potential as they grow older,” Mr. Graves remarked. “And one of our community member’s heroic deeds is partly the reason they are here.”
Ta’Ron and Tajaliayh Briggs’ father was Ronald Briggs, Ms. Washington’s neighbor.
He revealed to a local news station, “I have six kids.” “In one day, I lost two of them.”
