A quick-thinking Police officer has helped a couple get to hospital for the arrival of their first child, despite gridlock traffic nearly forcing a motorway birth.
Constable Shaw was returning to Orewa Station via the Northern Motorway yesterday afternoon when he saw a car pulled over in the emergency stopping lane.
Constable Shaw says he had just finished his shift when he noticed the car with its hazards on.
¡°I went and spoke to the driver to make sure everything was ok,¡± he says.
¡°There was a woman in the backseat, clearly in labour.¡±
Traffic was extremely heavy and Gaurav Patil and his wife Shraddha had missed the turn off to the North Shore Birthing Unit; both were understandably distressed.
Constable Shaw offered to escort them to the hospital but after a couple of kilometres he pulled over and told them to hop in his patrol car, transporting them to the birthing unit under lights and siren.
¡°Traffic was ridiculous,¡± Constable Shaw says.
¡°I walked them up to the suite and left. It was quite cool ¨C a once-in-a-career opportunity.
¡°Hopefully it made a difference to them and meant she could deliver safely ¨C not on the side of the motorway.¡±
Gaurav says his wife had gone into labour at 4am on Thursday and by the time they decided to drive to the hospital, around 2pm, she was in a lot of pain.
¡°It was very tense moment,¡± he says.
¡°I missed the exit for some reason and unfortunately the motorway was just jam-packed. I started sweating and I called 111. The next minute Constable Shaw stopped for us.¡±
Gaurav and Shraddha welcomed their beautiful baby boy, Aarav, at 7.30am on Friday 26 May, weighing a healthy 3.38kgs.
¡°I didn¡¯t get much time to thank him. I cannot express how relieved we were to see him.
¡°The way Constable Shaw helped us, it was just amazing.¡±
ENDS.
Holly McKay/°µÍø½ûÇø
