Baby on board: Brno police escort mother-to-be through rush-hour traffic

A baby girl’s arrival turned into a police-assisted dash through Brno after her parents became trapped in Friday afternoon traffic on their way to the hospital.

The couple left for Brno University Hospital after the expectant mother’s water broke and they noticed unusual discoloration. A journey that would normally have taken only a few minutes instead came to a halt in an almost stationary traffic jam.

With the hospital still out of reach, the father-to-be called the 158 emergency line and asked police for help.

A dispatcher sent two patrol officers to locate the couple’s vehicle in the traffic jam. Once they found it, the officers switched on their emergency lights and siren and began clearing a route to the hospital.

The expectant father followed closely behind, occasionally sounding his own horn so other motorists would understand that police were escorting the car—not that he was simply trying to take advantage of the newly opened lane.

“Other drivers fortunately reacted correctly and allowed both vehicles to pass without difficulty,” police spokesman Petr Vala said.

The couple subsequently reached the hospital without further delays.

A second complication emerged after the couple arrived. Doctors determined that the woman could not give birth naturally and performed an emergency cesarean section.

“After several difficult hours, a healthy baby girl was finally born,” Vala said, citing the new father’s later account to police.

The father subsequently called the 158 emergency line for a second time. On this occasion, there was no emergency.

“He called again to thank the patrol and the officers at the operations center for their help,” Vala said.