The harrowing rescue unfolded when a branch fell on a power line, subsequently landing on a parked car and tragically claiming the lives of both parents and their teenage sibling. Witnessing this horrific event from her home, teenager Majiah Washington swiftly intervened to rescue the infant child, who was found lying atop his deceased father.
From USA Today:
According to the Associated Press, Washington opened her blinds and saw a red SUV with a downed power line on it and a couple who had been putting their baby in the car.
The woman screamed to her boyfriend to get the baby to safety, but before he made it up the driveway, he slipped on slick concrete and his foot touched the live wire. The mother, who was six months pregnant, tried to reach the baby before she too slipped and was electrocuted, the Associated Press reports.
The mother's 15-year-old brother was also electrocuted when he came outside to try and help.
Washington was on the phone with a dispatcher when she saw the baby, lying on top of his father, move his head and she decided to try to save the boy, according to the Associated Press.
Washington said at a Thursday news conference she kept a low crouch to avoid sliding into the live wire as she approached. She said she touched the father's body as she grabbed the baby, but wasn't shocked.
"I was concerned about the baby. Nobody was with the baby," Washington said.
The baby's 21-year-old mother, 15-year-old Ta’Ron Briggs and the baby's father were found dead upon firefighters' arrival at the scene. The baby, who was taken for a full medical evaluation is in good condition, a local affiliate reported.
