A daredevil's stunt atop a steel powerline tower went shockingly awry in Portland this week, ending with a 40-foot plunge into bushes. The individual, in a bid for a high-voltage selfie, was electrocuted then fell near Sellwood Riverfront Park at around 5:05 pm on May 15, as reported by Portland Fire & Rescue. Witnesses at the scene described hearing a transformer blow before seeing the person tumble to the ground.

According to one account, the fall was cushioned by fortuitous luck, with the thrill-seeker found conscious and breathing despite their perilous descent. "The individual—in a stroke of incredibly good luck--was conscious and breathing immediately after the fall,” said an off-duty paramedic present during the incident. The emergency response team, together with an AMR ambulance, arrived to find the patient alert and somehow able to walk to the waiting ambulance for transportation to a trauma center.

While it remains unclear whether the individual made direct contact with the 57,000 volt powerline or if the powerline arced to cause the electrocution; the gravity of the danger was not lost on the Portland Fire & Rescue team. They issued a stern reminder of the inherent risks in scaling power towers or venturing near any hazardous locale for a photo op. "No selfie is worth risking one’s life!" the rescue organization pronounced in a statement obtained by Portland Fire & Rescue.

The incident also prompted safety warnings about downed powerlines, as a lower-voltage line was dislodged during the commotion, ending across train tracks. Fire crews secured the scene until the arrival of PGE who confirmed that the powerlines were fully de-energized. Portlanders were urged to keep a safe distance from any fallen lines, always treating them as live, perilous electrical conduits. "If you see a downed power line, carefully back away and call 911," the emergency responders cautioned in the aftermath of the near-catastrophic event.