Mom in labor pulled over

[Guest]

A couple rushing to the hospital gets a ticket and is asked to prove they're expecting.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=10977109

IMO I think the officer should be fired! He put that lady and her child's life in danger

[helicopper 1,050]

I'll be the first to agree that making them wait on the side of the road while writing not just them but another motorist tickets sounds unreasonable. BUT, there are three sides to every story - the cops, the civilians, and the truth. We don't know what happened on the side of that road and the media coverage only presents one perspective.

People do and say the most unbelievable things to get out of tickets so before condemning the cop and calling for his termination let's get the whole story. Maybe there's more to it!?!?!?

[xfirefighter484x 234]

A couple rushing to the hospital gets a ticket and is asked to prove they're expecting.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=10977109

IMO I think the officer should be fired! He put that lady and her child's life in danger

Yes and no. The female was not in distress (other than any normal pregnancy) that we know of, and I am sure that the officer has heard a million and one different excuses to get out of a ticket, and was a little wary of believing them.

I think there should be some sort of apology and/or punitive action, but also, I think firing is an extreme. People these days are always in a rush to look to sue, or get people fired for stupid things, and its sad our generation has to resort to that for everything.

Stupid move on both parties parts?? Yes.

Worthy of getting fired over? Not so much!

Just my $0.02

[ex-commish 490]

See that...damn kid is trouble allready

[Just a guy 493]

"IMO I think the officer should be fired! He put that lady and her child's life in danger"

In regards to the above comment, i think you should leave the policing to the police, in 10 years I have heard everything you could think of as an excuse, the driver will lie and the passengers will swear to it. From that small media slanted clip you were able to say that he put their lives in danger ?? If thats the case you shouldn't be a fireman you should be a psychic

[FDNYDCHI 38]

Also too Its hard to fire a cop due to civil service rules and regulations along with the Union so, that an't going to happen..

[ny10570 745]

Unless birth is imminent (ie: crowning), there is no rush unless the mother is in distress. Check out maternity at any local hospital and see what happens any time the panicked mother and father to be come rushing in out of breath. The slow everything way down. If its mom's first, she'll be walking the floor for hours trying to speed up the birth. If she's had a few, there's not a whole lot going on until she feels the need to push at which point it is clear to all that baby is on the way. I'm going to side with the cop. This seems to be a mountain out of a mole hill.

[NWFDMedic 58]

The kid was born on November 18... now I see why he's trouble, that's my birthday.

Anyway, I often wondered what the "right" thing to do would be in these situations. The husband does not have the right to violate the law simply because his wife is in labor. Once the trooper was alerted that he was doing this because his wife was pregnant, wouldn't that lead you to believe that the husband may do other things on the way to the hospital, like maybe run a red light and kill a pedestrian. I would imagine the Mass. SP would have a lawsuit then if they just let this guy go.

I would think the proper answer here would be... "If your wife is in that much danger of a true emergency, let me get you an ambulance." If not, give the husband some time to cool down and let him go about his business, hopefully in a less hurried manner. I'm not sure the summons was completely necessary but as the officers here say, they've heard about every excuse in the book.

[ckroll 101]

We had one years ago where a dad was doing 100 mph on the Taconic for broken water, refused to go to the closest hospital when the ambulance came and insisted we take them to Columbia Presbyterian. The cop wrote a ticket on the grounds that if they didn't need the closest hospital it wasn't an emergency. Like doing 100 on the TSP isn't child abuse....

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Just something to think about, if this guy had taken out someone on the side of the road while he was rushing to the hospital, or hit something, and caused birth complications, or injured another person, the media/public would be clammering to find out why the police weren't patrolling the area, etc. Its unfair that this officer can't win in this situation. Hence my respect for the police, they aren't afraid to be "the bad guy" when they're protecting people.

[JetPhoto 626]

I't the kids fault, make the kid pay the titcket

[ckroll 101]

asked to prove they're expecting??? I hope he had a warrant before he did the pelvic exam. The best question is..."Do you want a boy or a girl?" If the answer runs along the lines of..."Well, we've got a boy so a girl would be nice..." this is not an emergency. If the answer is a stern " I WANT IT OUT" well that woman is about to have a baby, and unless you want to deliver it, this is not the time to write a ticket.

[27east 19]

I'm going to side with the cop.

Like Chris192 said, there are three sides to this story (and every other similar one).

It would be nice to know the entire story and then comment.

But this is EMTBravo......

[Guest jblazing56]

If the mother was in that much distress why didn't they just call an ambulance. They would of been able to get them to the hospital much safer for mom and baby and would of avoided getting a ticket. The cop was right for giving up a ticket. How is he suppost to know she is pregant like everyone is saying people make up lies and anything to get our of tickets.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

A couple rushing to the hospital gets a ticket and is asked to prove they're expecting.

IMO I think the officer should be fired! He put that lady and her child's life in danger

Really? How else is he going to get on TV about how he delivered a baby in his patrol car? lol. Just kidding brothers.

But on a serious note....really? How exactly did he put the lady and the child's life in danger? First people were having babies for years just find without any intervention from anybody. Second, does that mean I put a woman and child in danger for every baby I've delivered in the field? Thirdly...who is more at fault here. The officer for doing his job?....or the idiot driving the car. I didn't hyperdrive to the hospital either time my wife went into labor. Not necessarily the time perhaps for a lecture but the ticket could have possibly been given at the hospital. And as several of the brothers have stated everyone has an excuse and there are millions of them.

The only one that I can say upfront that I saw that was highly questionable and to me downright negligable was a case that had dash cam footage. I believe it may have been in Florida but its been some time since I saw it in training in that capacity. A husband was rushing his wife to the hospital because she had COPD and was having SOB. He was speeding and got pulled over. He explained this to the officer, whom simply did say its not an excuse for speeding and the husband very politely and respectfully agreed with the officer and apologized. The officer also did check on the woman, and when he asked her how are you doing...she replied "not so good." Full sentence...but labored. The officer then proceeded again to lecture the husband about the speeding a couple more times, again the husband responded back very respectfully, and at the end of each lecture the officer repeatedly said if you need I'll get you rescue, but you can't just speed. In the end I can't remember how long they were there for...but none of the civilians asked for an ambulance and the officer didn't either and issued a citation. The woman died shortly after arriving at the hospital. A civilian complaint was filed and I believe a lawsuit was also brought. The officer received no official reprimand for the stop and I do not know what the civil outcome was.

Now as a professional I understand the officer stopping, I just didn't ever think that the same lecture was needed more then once to man that could have been his father. I also think the husband could have just had the officer call the ambulance, but I believe that they weren't that far from the hospital and the time waiting might not have been a good decision either. Plus under stress, people do not react that way we do, throw in his wife with moderate to severe SOB..you could hear it on the officers mic when he talked to her, plus then getting pulled over he might not have been thinking straight.

What is my bottom line on this...there is always 2 sides of the story and either side you sit on makes sense. The officer stated he would call rescue if they needed it 2 to 3 if not 4 times. The husband never said anything. The officer lectured him with the same exact wording a couple times. Once was enough. I used it as a learning experience that sometimes even when your right...your not always right.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

If the mother was in that much distress why didn't they just call an ambulance. They would of been able to get them to the hospital much safer for mom and baby and would of avoided getting a ticket. The cop was right for giving up a ticket. How is he suppost to know she is pregant like everyone is saying people make up lies and anything to get our of tickets.

Safer? That certainly could be debated also. I would rather have my wife sitting in a car seat then lying on a stretcher in the back of the ambulance potentially with someone who is entirely over ramped up because its an active labor, running red lights and sirens for no reason at all. Then if she does deliver how safe is it for a neonate to be free floating in the back of an ambulance? Again with ramped up crew allowing ramped up driver to go lights and sirens. Would you let your wife or mother of your child do that with your kid in your personal car?

Is uncomplicated child birth a true emergency? Nope...take it in Code 1 gang. Then its much more safer.

[JackEMT 77]

Update: http://wbztv.com/local/Michael.Galluccio.t...t.2.934648.html

[Remember585 815]

Last September we were called out to Route 9 for a "woman in labor" call. PD was on a vehicle stop and the woman "was in labor." I arrived just ahead of EMS and had the EMTs with me assess the patient. The cop informed me that she started to mention the "labor pains" as he and the other officer were informing her and her boyfriend that he was being arrested. As you guessed it, she wasn't in labor but used that as an excuse to try and avoid having him locked up.

A few more years ago we were called to another PD for a female "in labor." This female was arrested for narcotics (if I recall correctly) and instead of going to jail decided to claim labor pains. After further exam she revealed that she wasn't pregnant.....THANK GOD!

So in defense of the Cop in this story and all the other donut eaters ( ) I can see them being skeptical. Especially since most often those REALLY in labor on their way to the ER generally have that look of horror on their faces....and so do their husband's whom are nervous about the baby coming out and ruining the upholstery in his car!

Edited February 13, 2009 by Remember585

[Just a guy 493]

this is another example of how our jobs are TOTALLY different. People don't tend to lie to firemen and EMT's but EVERYONE lies to us..... you guys have to realize that not all is as it seems... trust the cops at the scene and let it be...

[ckroll 101]

this is another example of how our jobs are TOTALLY different. People don't tend to lie to firemen and EMT's but EVERYONE lies to us..... you guys have to realize that not all is as it seems... trust the cops at the scene and let it be...

EMT's and paramedics have some experience with being lied to, poor memory, and forgotten details. Perhaps we should start with the assumption that black and white are illusions. Everything is a shade of gray, and it is our job to figure out what shade of gray it is. Trust no one, assume people are good, but don't be surprised if they are not.

[Just a guy 493]

you can't assume people are good, that equals complacency in Law Enforcement ... ( I don't know if i spelled complacency right) People lie, thats the way it is... I just think this story isn't as bad as the liberal media make it out to be

[Guest Chiefmcfuz]

John.......I'll give you donut eaters !!

[Oswegowind 17]

So, the cop holding them on the side of the road endangered them more than the "Father" speeding in order to get to the hospital...I believe that is what the 1st poster said! Interesting thought...thanks for reminding us of how people see things in their own way.

And wasn't it not a few years ago that this happened to some County cop in Westchester? Wasn't there an incident where a man was pulled over and claimed he was speeding to get home cause his wife was in labor and needed to go to the hospital. Something like an ambulance was sent to the address and the lady wasn't even pregnant...I heard that through the grapevine so the particulars may not be 100% accurate, but it is readily believable!

Last night alone at least one moron called 911 and lied so she could get the police there faster...I been shot...on callback..."oh I lied" notice the quote, unquote!

[helicopper 1,050]

And wasn't it not a few years ago that this happened to some County cop in Westchester? Wasn't there an incident where a man was pulled over and claimed he was speeding to get home cause his wife was in labor and needed to go to the hospital. Something like an ambulance was sent to the address and the lady wasn't even pregnant...I heard that through the grapevine so the particulars may not be 100% accurate, but it is readily believable!

I don't remember that exact scenario but there have been many stories like it.

During my time on the road I had several instances where someone claimed to be having some sort of medical problem in order to get out of some offense or another. Only once did someone press the issue and actually have me call an ambulance for them. He was in his late teens or early 20's and stopped for doing over 100 in a 45 and he claimed he was rushing himself to the hospital for difficulty breathing. Childhood history of asthma but no meds. I informed him that if he was indeed having difficulty breathing he couldn't drive safely and I would get him an ambulance. Long story short, he RMA'd and got the ticket.

One of my favorites was stopping an "MD" enroute to the hospital for an "emergency". Unfortunately he was going in the wrong direction (was aimed at his home though) and wasn't even the radiologist on call that night so he too got an autograph.

EMT's and paramedics have some experience with being lied to, poor memory, and forgotten details. Perhaps we should start with the assumption that black and white are illusions. Everything is a shade of gray, and it is our job to figure out what shade of gray it is. Trust no one, assume people are good, but don't be surprised if they are not.

Lied to? Perhaps sometimes but far less than to the police. When in an EMS uniform I could get people to tell me almost anything (drug use, other activities, etc.) but when in a PD uniform the initial response is always 'NO'. As for the shades of gray, the problem is everything is black and white in the eye of the beholder but to get everyone to agree is near impossible.

I also have to agree with crimecop. You can't assume anyone is good; you have to be pleasantly surprised when they turn out to be!

[helicopper 1,050]

Last night alone at least one moron called 911 and lied so she could get the police there faster...I been shot...on callback..."oh I lied" notice the quote, unquote!

Please tell me she got locked up!!!!

[PCFD ENG58 1,085]

I say "let them crash" [ airplane 1977]

[xfirefighter484x 234]

When in an EMS uniform I could get people to tell me almost anything (drug use, other activities, etc.) but when in a PD uniform the initial response is always 'NO'. As for the shades of gray, the problem is everything is black and white in the eye of the beholder but to get everyone to agree is near impossible.

For those who 'know the game', they know that anything told to an EMS worker is patient confidentiality, yet, anything said to an officer of the law "could be used against you in a court of law".

There are those who know the game, and play it on a daily basis!!

[Oswegowind 17]

Please tell me she got locked up!!!!

Yes, she is currently awaiting trial. She got cited for a number of things...