An Oregon baby who miraculously survived a broken power line that electrocuted his parents and uncle was rescued by a selfless 18-year-old who crouched down to grab the child from his mortally injured father's chest.
Majia Washington sprung into action when she saw a flash of light after her red SUV became tangled in power lines pulled from a fallen tree branch outside her Portland home on Wednesday.
The child's parents had their 9-month-old baby in their car seat when the tragic fracas began.
A fire broke out under the car, and the mother yelled at her boyfriend to get her child and run.
But thick ice from a strong winter storm caused the father, named Nash, to slip while holding the baby and come into contact with live power lines, Washington said. Later, the child's mother, who was six months pregnant, and her 15-year-old brother were similarly murdered.
Washington was talking on the phone with first responders while the three were lying on the ground and saw the baby's head move.
“Everything happened so quickly,” she said at a press conference Thursday. It was distributed on KOIN.
She made the bold decision to rescue herself instead of waiting for paramedics. She said the girl crouched down and used her hands to prevent her from falling as she walked toward the child, who was in danger.
Washington, the child care worker, immediately picked up the baby and took him to safety. Washington said she touched her father's chest, but she was not zapped.
“I wasn't thinking, 'Oh, I might get electrocuted,'” she said. “I was more like, 'I have to get this kid.'”
Portland Fire Rescue spokesman Rick Graves praised Washington for her bravery, but admitted he didn't understand why she and the baby weren't electrocuted.
He said the baby survived “thanks to the heroic actions of members of our community.” He is in good health, the official added.
“I thought I had a nephew. I also had a younger brother,” Washington explained. “I wish someone would do the same.”
Washington neighbor Ronald Briggs told television station KGW that the baby's mother, her 21-year-old daughter, came to her home to use the internet after she went out.
When he saw the couple fall to their deaths, he yelled for his 15-year-old son, Taron Brigg, to stay away, but he also fell and suffered a fatal shock.
“I have six children. I lost two in one day,” Briggs said.
At least 10 people have died in Oregon in recent days due to snow, freezing rain, ice and bitter cold in the Pacific Northwest.
