PORTLAND, Oregon — On Wednesday, a Portland father experienced an unimaginable tragedy that no parent would ever wish to go through. He witnessed his 15-year-old son and his 21-year-old daughter, who was six months pregnant, die after live power lines fell down.
"I have six kids. I lost two of them in one day," Ronald Briggs said.
His daughter's boyfriend, Nash, was also killed. Nash was the father of his 9-month-old grandson who survived, Briggs said. A neighbor, who saw the family and felt that something was wrong, rescued the baby.
Briggs said his daughter, Nash, and his grandson came to his home in Northeast Portland when their Wi-Fi stopped working after this week's ice storm. His daughter needed to let her workplace know that she wasn't coming in. As they left his house, Ronald Briggs and his wife got into their car to go to the 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,'" he said.
When the power line fell on top of their red SUV near Northeast Siskiyou Street and Northeast 122nd Avenue, everyone jumped outside on the ice.
"They were walking up the hill and they slid back down," he said. "My daughter tried to grab her boyfriend, her baby's dad with the baby, and his foot touched the wire."
Briggs said his 15-year-old son, Ta'Ron Briggs, went out to try to help them.
"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," he said.
Ta'Ron was a sophomore who played football at Milwaukie High School. Ronald Briggs' daughter had played basketball at Parkrose High School.
"It just hurts. Seeing my kids dying — I can’t do nothing about it," he said.
His 9-month-old grandson was still alive in Nash's arms.
"His dad saved his life — he laid on top of his dad," Briggs said.
Majiah Washington lives nearby and jumped in to help after seeing flashes from her window. She thought they were from gun shots at first, but then realized it was the power line.
"I know some people might say it’s probably a dumb decision, but I don't know, I just felt like I had to go get that baby," she said.
She grabbed the baby and saw that he was alert. The 9-month-old was taken to the hospital and is in good condition.
GoFundMes for Tajaliyah and Ta’Ron Briggs, as well as DeVonte Nash, have been created for funeral and burial costs.
Resources
If you or someone you know has experienced the loss of a loved one and need support, here are links to some resources that are available:
