Majiah Washington speaking at news conference in Portland on Thursday.Photo:AP Photo/Jenny Kane
AP Photo/Jenny Kane
A tree branch on a once active wire at the scene in Portland.Rick Graves/Portland Fire & Rescue via AP
Rick Graves/Portland Fire & Rescue via AP
The streets in Portland, Oregon on Thursday.AP Photo/Jenny Kane
“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,” Graves said. “And they are here, in part, because of the heroic acts of a member of our community.”
On Wednesday, the Portland Fire & Rescue Department was dispatched “near the intersection of NE 122 and NE Siskiyou in the Russel Neighborhood” shortly before 11:45 a.m. due to a “possible car fire,” the release read.
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Once they arrived, they found three individuals “located approximately 35' away from a full-size SUV with a powerline draped over the vehicle with a large tree branch over the top of the powerline resting on the hood of the SUV.”
They were identified as “two adults and a reported teen” who were confirmed dead at the scene.
“The individuals affected were occupants of the SUV and exited the vehicle following the branch bringing the live powerline down upon their vehicle. When the feet of the individuals touched the ground, and their bodies were touching the car they became part of the active electrical circuit which resulted in their deaths,” the release continued.
Washington’s neighbor, Ronald Briggs, told AP that his 21-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son had been killed in the incident.
According to NBC News, he also told Portland television station KGW that his daughter had come over to use the internet after hers went out. After watching his daughter and her boyfriend slide to their deaths, he told his 15-year-old son, Ta’Ron Briggs, to keep his distance.
“I told him, ‘Don’t go down there — try to get away from them.’ And he slid, and he touched the water, and he, and he died too,” Briggs told KGW. “I have six kids. I lost two of them in one day.”
“It just hurt,” he added. “Being a good father cannot solve this right now.”
source: people.com
