Father to be Gets a Speeding ticket!

Becky - posted on 09/10/2011

How funny! Watching the news this morning & they had a similar story. The exception in this case was that the mother woke up with labor pains, was on her way to the hospital, but ran outta time and the police office assisted her in a road side delivery. Both Mom & Baby are doing just fine!



I think 102 mph is just excessive. I know it was 3:30 in the morning, but thing can happen quickly, weather the drivers fault or not, but the potential for a dangerous and life threatening situation is great. What if a stray cat wandered on the road? Or heaven forbid a deer - and 102 mph . . . . very scary thought!



I'm glad everything worked out for them and no one was injured, but that doesn't make his action OK, it made him lucky.

Julianne - posted on 09/09/2011

He broke the law. He gets a ticket.

K. - posted on 09/09/2011

The ticket was justified. I'd rather have my baby in the back of car than in the back of a wrecked car.

Jaime - posted on 01/19/2011

there's no reason to drive a hundred miles an hour, even if your wife IS in active labor. in fact, that's even more reason to NOT drive that fast. as many have said before me, what if he'd crashed? he probably would have killed all three of them going at that speed, and possibly anyone he may have run into. i think it was justified.

Barb - posted on 01/19/2011

I read this story last week from this website and it gave some additional information:
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/01/04/co...

Like for example, she wasn't in serious labor when they left for the hospital and they didn't live far from the hospital, but things progressed very quickly along the way. So why would you call an ambulance from home if you are just going into labor and live a short drive from the hospital? That doesn't seem realistic to me.

Something i'm not clear about is when the trooper gave them the escort, how fast was the trooper going in front of them to give them the escort?

Also, yes, it was 3:30 in the morning, traffic is going to be minimal, this man isn't a child and we can't just assume he's a driving moron, he could have very good driving skills.

102 is not really that bad. Some cars handle very well at that speed. My mercedes benz has a tag by the gas cap that says "if you are planning on driving over 100mph, add 7 psi to each tire"

So did he say to his wife "hold on honey, i need to add more air to the tires, this is going to be quick trip!" LOL

c'mon, trooper, give the guy a break!

Lady Heather - posted on 01/18/2011

Justified ticket. If you have to drive that fast to get to the hospital in time, you should pull over and call 911. Endangering the lives of yourselves and everyone else on the road just isn't worth the risk. I get that he probably wasn't thinking straight, but the I don't think fathers driving like maniacs to the hospital needs to be encouraged.

Jessica - posted on 01/18/2011

The trooper was being a HUGEE dick

~♥Little Miss - posted on 01/06/2011

WOW! That is really fast! My labor went so quick with my daughter, I was yelling at my hubby to go faster...I think his top speed was 85-90mph...I was trying not to push in the car, and the hospital was 1hr away. By the time we got to the hospital, I was pushing in the wheel chair....granted it was 45 mins not 6,,...but I would have expected a ticket if a cop saw us.

Mary - posted on 01/06/2011

The officer did the exact right thing. When he learned of the situation, he escorted them to the hospital, and waited until AFTER the birth the issue the ticket. He only would have been a dick if he had tried to detain the father and issue the ticket as soon as they stopped the car.

I understand the panic the father must have been in, but 102mph....no, I don't think that officer could or should just let that go.

Nicole - posted on 01/05/2011

I have babies fast too which is why I was prepared for both of my pregnancies. I had people around and when I thought maybe it was time, I made my way to the hospital. If I got turned away, no big deal.

I am glad that they didn't hurt anyone, it could have been a tragedy

Isobel - posted on 01/05/2011

actually, in Toronto (maybe the rest of Ontario, I don't know), they automatically impound your car at that speed as well

Joy - posted on 01/05/2011

I can see where you guys are coming from. Yes, 102 miles per hour is excessive and no, I don't think that when ANYone does something wreckless or dangerous they should all be just given warnings. I guess I just feel for the guy doing what he thought he had to do in the heat of the moment and instead of him going into a panic and stammering about asking his laboring wife "What do I do???" he took action. Not the wisest action, I'll give you that, but he did what he thought was best and hauled ass to the hospital. Again, I'm not saying the new father did the smartest thing, but I do think the cop could have given him a break under the circumstances. I think it also should depend on the guy's driving record. I mean, if he's a habitual speeder then yeah, maybe he deserves the ticket. But if this is his first ticket in forever then come on, give new papa a break, IMO :)

Erin - posted on 01/05/2011

There is far less chance of something going wrong in a roadside birth than there is of crashing at that speed! Choosing the lesser of two evils, giving birth in the car wins. Hands down. Panic or not, this father's behaviour was ridiculous.

Nikkole - posted on 01/05/2011

Ive heard of police giving ambulances tickets for going to fast :P

Heather - posted on 01/05/2011

I think its justified....he's lucky he just got the speeding ticket...hope he never drives that fast with his child in the car...and if that was me, and my husband was driving like that, I would be bitching up a storm probably hitting him to slow down cause I would at least want to be alive to give birth, no matter how much pain I was in! Bet he would've felt like a bigger ass if he killed someone...another case of not using common sense!

Bonnie - posted on 01/05/2011

IMO, by the time the ambulance could have gotten to them, something could have gone wrong. Ambulances don't always get to you faster than you can blink.

Nikki - posted on 01/05/2011

Wow, I don't understand the mph thing I didn't realise it was that fast. The father was being a dick, I don't care if the baby's head is crowning, pull over and call an ambulance. That kind of speed is very dangerous even at 3am in the morning.

Love what Kelly said too.

Iris - posted on 01/05/2011

I agree with what Kelly said. We are talking about 102 miles per hour, AND on the phone with 911?! Reckless and dangerous IMO.

Nikkole - posted on 01/05/2011

Ambulances around where i live you'd be dead or have your baby before they came to my house and there literally RIGHT down the road from me its stupid! And an ambulance ride is $500.00!!!! I think the cop was being a dick and should have let it go! And sometimes men freak when there wife says im gonna have the baby NOW lol

Erin - posted on 01/05/2011

I had to do the conversion, but that is almost 165km/hr!! Absolutely reckless and idiotic. It would have been safer for that baby to be born on the side of the road than driving like that.

The ticket was completely justified. Pay up and shut up.

Jaime - posted on 01/05/2011

I think I posted my comment and then saw the last part of your last comment Amie, so it sounds like I'm being redundant but it's all good.

Jaime - posted on 01/05/2011

I'm sure it isn't and I'm still not condoning his actions, just considering all angles of the situation. I get that he was speeding and I get that it was dangerous. I also get that he was in a panic and just wanted to get to the hospital. The cop was justified in giving him the ticket...but it doesn't remove my empathy for the situation all around.

Amie - posted on 01/05/2011

Which is actually more reason for him not to be behind the wheel. He was probably only wide awake because of an adrenaline rush. That is no time to be behind the wheel for anyone either.



I do see that you don't agree with it (him driving like a bat out of hell) either. =P

Jaime - posted on 01/05/2011

That's why I said "could have". I don't agree with what he did Amie, but it is a tough call because on the one hand he was speeding but on the other hand his pregnant wife was about to deliver a baby in their car. I'm sure it was a scary moment for all of them. I'm not condoning his actions, just considering another side of it.



Edit to add: I don't disagree with him getting a ticket either.

Amie - posted on 01/05/2011

Oh and I was double checking what I said earlier... it's $2,000 - $10,000 in Ontario. It's part of their Safer Roads for a Safer Ontario Act that went into effect in 2007.

Amie - posted on 01/05/2011

Jaime,

Should we allow everyone who does something dangerous and against the law away with a warning if, in the end, they didn't really hurt or kill anyone?

Jaime - posted on 01/05/2011

For me this is a tough call. On the one hand I agree that speeding is a serious offense because it endangers other motorists and it also endangers them (the father mentioned that he was just trying to get "them" to safety). On the other hand, no one was injured so the cop could have just issued a warning to the father.

Amie - posted on 01/05/2011

I was thinking he's lucky he didn't lose his license and his vehicle. =/ I know here, in some places, going in excess of 50+ of the speed limit it's an automatic loss of both. Ontario hands out an automatic $10,000 ticket on top of that too.

Joanna - posted on 01/05/2011

Yup, Kelly took my answer.

And I dont care if she's in labor, what if you guys were on that road with your children in the car? You would not feel safe. Ticket is totally justified.

Lindsay - posted on 01/05/2011

Everything that Kelly just said. There is absolutely no reason to be going that speed. Honestly, he's lucky he didn't get his license revoked.

Katherine - posted on 01/05/2011

He was being a dick! I saw this on yahoo. Unreal. I mean the guy called 911 to tell them he was not trying to outrun this cop and his wife was about to have a baby.

I think it was pretty damn rude on the officers part.



Edit to add: This was an impulsive move, he didn't think this through. He was going to get his wife to the hospital regardless. So I think the argument is about the ticket IMHO.

Laura - posted on 01/05/2011

I understand why he did it, but like others said 102mph is very extreme and more likely to put his wife and baby at risk. So the baby is born in the car not far from the hospital. Not ideal but not the end of the world. My cousin gave birth in the car 3 miles from the hospital while her husband was still driving. Yes there could have been complications but at 102 mph he could have very very easily lost control and killed them all. Suck it up and pay the ticket and be happy everyone is ok.

Amie - posted on 01/05/2011

Thank you Kelly! You've said everything I wanted to but couldn't come up with the words. I was too dumbfounded that anyone is ok with someone driving 102 miles per hour down the road. Least of all the woman in labour. I would have booted my husband out of the car on the spot and gave birth on the side of the road, alone, before I allowed him to drive so recklessly. =/

Kelly - posted on 01/05/2011

102mph is extreme and excessive. I can see going 15-20mph over the limit, even 30 in emergency, but he is not a trained emergency driver and he put others at risk. An impact at that speed would have killed them and anyone they hit, so I agree that he should have gotten the ticket, and I applaud the Trooper for escorting them to the hospital before writing and issuing it.
I hope, given the circumstances that the fine is reduced, but the ticket should stand.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the situation, but giving birth in the back of a car is not excuse to endanger the lives of the other people who were on the road at the same time. She could survive the birth in the car, but no one would have survived that collision.

Mother - posted on 01/05/2011

He was being a huge DICK.

Shauna - posted on 01/05/2011

Just being a dick

Joy - posted on 01/05/2011

I saw this on Yahoo earlier and I really hope the judge tosses the ticket out of court. Like Kate just said, it was 3am, the guy was sober and awake...AND...she had the baby 6 minutes after they got to the hospital. In the town where I live, if I had an emergency and called 911, I've heard of ambulances taking up to half an hour, sometimes more, to show up. It's a small town and an all volunteer fire department. It's definitely faster (for me) to just drive, than to wait for the ambulance.

I doubt that guy would have had to wait as long as I would, but still...she had the baby SIX minutes after getting to the hospital and I highly doubt she would have even made it to the hospital if they had waited for the ambulance. I could see if he was going that fast in rush hour traffic or bobbing and weaving all over the roads, but he wasn't. And it's probably a good thing he went that fast or she would have had the baby in the car.

Kate CP - posted on 01/05/2011

I can see the point y'all are making. But at the same time, he was wide awake, it was 3:30 in the morning so there were minimal other motorists on the road and I doubt they had time to call an ambulance. They would have had to wait for the bus to arrive, wait for the assessment, get IN the bus, and then speed to the hospital. By then the baby probably would have been born in the back of the ambulance (not exactly the cleanest place on earth). I think they probably should have headed to the hospital a little earlier than they did, however...especially if they lived far enough away from the hospital that it would warrant such speeding to get there in an emergency.

I actually live a good drive from the hospital where I'm due to give birth. But when I go into labor I'm going to my mom's house which is about 10 minutes from the hospital so it won't be such a "Oh, crap, the baby is crowning!" while we're driving to the hospital.

Obviously some labors just go REALLY fast but if you live far away from the hospital or birth center you really should try to find a way to get as close to the hospital as possible when you're in early labor.

Stifler's - posted on 01/05/2011

i think it would be safer to have the baby at home and read up on what to do to cut the cord etc. and wait for an ambulance than on the side of the road of back seat of the car. what happens if the baby arrived in the car before they got there?

Sal - posted on 01/05/2011

i have chosen not to speed in a hospital rush as i didn;t have time to stop and get as ticket....i was a genuine choice i made at the time...

Teresa - posted on 01/05/2011

Oh... oops. ;) Nevermind that part then. The rest of my statement still stands though.

Sal - posted on 01/05/2011

pay the ticket....if it was so urgent he should of got and ambulance, lucky he didn;t have a high speed crash, then he would really have something to bitch about, it would of been dangerous driving, his wife and baby hurt and maybe himself, grow up. i'm sure many people would of speed in the similar situation but would cop the fine and deal with it,

Lacye - posted on 01/05/2011

Teresa, he was on the phone with 911 on the way over there. He thought the cop was his escort.

Caitlin - posted on 01/05/2011

Pay the darned ticket and count himself lucky that she didn't deliver in the car.

It's hazardous to speed - that's why it's illegal. Even in an emergency, his vehicle isn't equipped with sirens and /or lights and he hasn't followed the special driving course deisgned for drivers of emergency vehicles.. The state trooper was justified in giving him the ticket. I made my hubby put the cruise control on the car when I was in labour, and I was still paranoid he was going too fast, I was petrified of having an accident and having the baby in the car or on the side of the road! The couple should count themselves as lucky that the trooper escorted him tot he hospital first. If it were me, i'd just pay the damn ticket and count my lucky stars it all workedd out like it did..

Teresa - posted on 01/05/2011

If you call 911 while on the road I've heard you can get a police escort..... but I doubt the police escort would go that fast, so yeah... the ticket is justified. That is a dangerous speed. While I can understand the panic or whatever that was going through his head.... it could've cost him some lives. That's what 911 and ambulances are there for.....

Lacye - posted on 01/05/2011

Nikki I have to disagree with you. I know people in the town that I live in say that it is faster to take a person to the hospital themselves than get the ambulance to come. I have heard about one person that almost bled to death waiting for the ambulance to show up. I think the husband didn't do anything wrong. He was worried about his wife and unborn child. I would have done the same thing to be honest.

Becky - posted on 01/05/2011

I think he was just being a dick.

Nikki - posted on 01/05/2011

But Kate one of the reasons we have ambulances is to avoid situations like that. In the case of a serious medical emergency a friend or family member should not be driving someone to the hospital, they are going to be stressed, emotional and unable to concentrate on driving safely. You call an ambulance. It would be a different story if they crashed and killed someone else's child, would it be ok to justify it then?

Kate CP - posted on 01/05/2011

What if it was a guy bleeding to death in the backseat? Would he have still gotten a ticket? Just because he's not driving an ambulance doesn't mean he doesn't have the right of way because of a medical emergency does it? (Honestly I don't know, I'll have to look into that.)

Nikki - posted on 01/05/2011

I actually think it is justified. Speeding is serious, he could have crashed, he endangered not only his wife and babies life but others on the road as well. I didn't see it mention how much over the speed limit he was doing, but If she was that close to labour they should have called an ambulance.