First Responders Help Deliver Baby On Delaware Memorial Bridge
By Elizabeth Hur
NEW CASTLE, Del. (CBS) -- A baby boy, who couldn't wait for the hospital, was delivered on a bridge.
Mom's water broke in the westbound lanes of the Delaware Memorial Bridge Thursday morning and a pair of first responders from the Delaware River & Bay Authority Police Department was naturally, first on the scene.
Patrolman First Class Jason LaMora said, "As first responders, we have to be prepared for anything and this was a perfect case of that. We were as prepared as we could be."
Staff Sergeant Jeff Jannaman added, "Some of the more enjoyable things that you get to do on this job and we're here to serve the public and this was just one thing we were able to do."
They may have been prepared but get this, when you combine their years of public service - we're talking 38 years and counting. Yet what they encountered on this day was a first for both of them.
Jannaman explained, "They had stated that a female passenger was in labor and her water had broke."
Police and paramedics were both needed. That call for help came in shortly before 9am and Jannaman and LaMora were the first to come to the aid of the 28-year-old woman. She was standing outside her car just past the toll plaza on the Delaware side.
"She was calm. She was talking to us the whole time so I would say she had the situation pretty well under control and did a good job as well," Jannaman said.
Their plan was to wait for paramedics to arrive.
"While waiting for that, she indicated that she felt that she was ready to deliver the child," Jannaman recalled.
LaMora added, "We knew it was close then I looked over and saw my Sgt. putting on rubber gloves and rolling up his sleeves."
"It was kind of exciting. It was kind of exciting. I was actually prepared to deliver the child," Jannaman said.
"But shortly thereafter the medical personnel arrived and we were pretty happy about that," LaMora said.
New Castle County paramedics did take over and in a hurry, took off in an ambulance. But they didn't get far.
Jannaman explained. "She was placed in the back of the ambulance and a few seconds later, the ambulance pulled to the side of the road. The paramedic stuck his head outside and gave us the thumbs up and said, 'It's a boy'."
And with that the newborn and his mother were rushed to Christiana Hospital for further evaluation. So as it turns out, the two officers have not yet met the little one. But as you can imagine, for now, they say they're just relieved everything turned out well.
