Two adults and a teen were fatally electrocuted Wednesday morning after a downed power line crashed into their vehicle during a winter storm in Portland.
One of the three victims caught flames from the current while a two-year-old toddler was miraculously saved from one of the victims’ arms.
Police said that the accident occurred at around 11:45 a.m. Wednesday when the power line fell on the group’s car and shocked them in Russell neighborhood.
Portland Fire and Rescue Rep. Rick Graves suggested the victims were electrocuted as they tried to leave the car.
“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,” Graves explained.
“In all likelihood, had they stayed in the vehicle, we might not have been having this conversation.”
The victims’ identities and their relationship to each other were not immediately clear.
