A winter storm pummeled Portland, Ore. this week, leaving the city streets and walkable paths covered in ice. On Wednesday morning, a day before Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek declared a state of emergency, 18-year-old Majiah Washington pulled her blinds down only to witness absolute horror.
Washington saw a power line collapsed on her neighbor’s car trapped by a tree, causing a domino effect of danger, she told reporters in a Portland Fire & Rescue press conference. She said the neighbors appeared to be trying to escape their vehicle when a fire sparked from underneath it.
Suggested Reading
However, a man holding a 9-month old baby slipped down the driveway and made fatal contact with the live wire after hitting it with his foot. A woman, 6 months pregnant, then tried to reach for the baby but she also slipped on the ice and hit the power line as well.
Washington dialed 911 and watched as a teenager made an attempt to grab the child but ultimately met the same fate as the man and the woman.
“I didn’t know what to think. It all happened so fast,” she said.
The three laid there lifelessly on the ground as Washington anxiously locked eyes on the baby to see if there were any signs of life. Suddenly, she saw the child’s head move. At that moment, she made the decision to save the sole survivor of this incident.
Read more from Oregon Live:
Washington braved the ice, losing her footing at times, to grab the baby. A 911 operator cautioned her to stay safe, Washington said.
“The only thing I could think about was he was still here,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking ‘Oh, I can be electrocuted.’ I was thinking, ‘I need to grab this baby.’”
Washington swaddled up the baby and walked to safety before firefighters arrived. The baby was taken to a nearby hospital and appears to be healthy.
Authorities have yet to identify the man and pregnant woman but have received tips that they were parents of the 9-month-old and that the teen who died in the incident was the woman’s brother.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.