Charles Langston:Oregon teen's heroic act may have saved a baby from electrocution after power line kills 3

The Charles Langstonquick thinking and bravery of a teenager saved a baby's life in Oregon this week.

Majiah Washington, 18, noticed a flash outside her home in Portland Wednesday when a branch fell on a power line, causing it to fall on a parked car, killing three people and injuring a baby during an ice storm.

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.

More on this:Power line falls on car during ice storm in Oregon, killing 3 and injuring a baby: Authorities

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.

Portland Fire & Rescue said in the statement they believe the victims were electrocuted upon exiting the car.

Portland Fire & Rescue spokesman Rick Graves praised Washington for her heroic act but also admitted he didn't understand how she and the baby weren't also electrocuted.

“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 at the news conference. “And they are here, in part, because of the heroic acts of a member of our community.”

Father of the victims says they heard the power line before it fell

Ronald Briggs, the father of Ta’Ron and the woman, told KGW8 that he and his wife were headed to the grocery store when they heard a loud sound.

"We heard a loud boom. And my wife’s like, 'Oh my god, their car is on fire,'" Briggs said.

Everyone scrambled to get outside as soon as the power line fell on the car, Briggs said.

"They were walking up the hill and they slid back down. My daughter tried to grab her boyfriend, her baby's dad with the baby, and his foot touched the wire," he said.

Ta’Ron, who wanted to help the young family was warned by his father to get away from them.

"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 said.

Briggs, who lost two kids in one day, expressed how helpless he felt in the situation.

"It just hurts. Seeing my kids dying — I can’t do nothing about it," Briggs said. 

Deadly storms cause power outages in Oregon

More than 100,000 utility customers were without power in Oregon on Friday after a series of deadly storms slammed the Pacific Northwest this week and left much of the region covered in ice.

Mass outages forced schools to close as many reported a loss of power. Some parts of the state have been without power for several days as temperatures overnight occasionally dropped into the low 30s.

Just before midnight Thursday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek issued a state of emergency after several counties reported "power outages, lack of transportation, and an array of safety concerns."