21 January 2024 , 18:29
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A brave 18-year-old woman has saved a baby from being electrocuted by a fallen power line as three were killed.
Majiah Washington said at a press conference on Thursday: "I wasn't thinking, like, 'Oh, I could be electrocuted,' I was more so thinking, 'I have to grab this baby,'"
On Wednesday morning, a branch hit a car and brought down a power line with it in northeast Portland, Oregon. Tragically, three people who got out of the car and tried to walk away were killed when they touched the live wire, according to Rick Graves, a spokesperson for Portland Fire and Rescue.
These deaths are part of the damage caused by ice storms in Oregon, which have been knocking down power lines and trees since Saturday. So far, there have been at least 13 storm-related deaths in Oregon since January 11, reports Oregon Live. On Thursday, Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency, making it easier for counties to get federal funding and support to deal with the storm's impact.
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On Wednesday morning, a branch hit a car and brought down a power line with it (KPTV)Washington, a daycare worker and hero, was at home when she saw a flash outside her window during a storm. She told CNN: "At first, I wasn't really too sure what it was, so I kind of opened the blinds and then ... I realized it was the electricity pole," and "I was standing there and it made another, like, loud pop."
She noticed a power line had fallen on a car and went outside to help. There, she saw a dad trying to put his baby in the car. "He swaddled the baby in his arms, he was walking up the driveway and he slipped, he fell backwards and the bottom of his foot had touched the line," Washington said. "It caught a little fire, and it was smoking and then that was it. Nothing after that."
Another woman tried to help the baby but also slipped and touched the live wire. A teenager also ran over to assist but met the same fate.
"At that point, I didn't know what to think, it felt like it just happened so fast," she said. "I knew I had to do something because the baby started moving. He was moving his head, and that's how I knew he was still there." But the neighbours who had fallen and touched the line when going to help were motionless.
Washington ran over to save the baby, and she managed to get him out of his dad's arms. She shared that it was "hard to grasp" but said she has little brothers - and "would hope somebody would do the same thing".
Graves praised Washington for being brave and thinking of others. "We do have, fortunately with us, a toddler that is going to be able to thrive and do what they possibly can as they move forward, and they're here in part because of the heroic acts of a member of our community," he said. We're still waiting to find out exactly why the three people died.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]