If you're looking for one of those feel-good speeding to the hospital stories -- this is not it. In fact, this is one of those stories that makes you wonder if there is any compassion left in America, and what in the world was this police officer thinking?
Marc and Paula Santala live two hours from the hospital where the couple wanted their baby to be born. As Paula's labor progressed, Marc's foot got heavier on the gas pedal, as one might expect. So it's not completely surprising that the Colorado state trooper clocked Santala as going 101 and pulled him over. Did the trooper arrange for a police escort? Send the Santalas on their way yelling, "Godspeed!" after? Not even close.
Instead Marc Santala was handcuffed, and an ambulance was called to take Paula to the hospital. The daddy was held and not allowed back on the highway in time to see the birth of his baby -- which took place right at the entrance of the hospital. Also, he was cited for speeding and reckless driving.
Needless to say mom is pissed she had to go through this without her husband by her side, and dad is angry to have missed the birth of his eighth child. And the trooper? Well, he feels like he did the right thing by getting an emotionally charged man off the highway.
While I can see his point, why not let him go in the ambulance with his wife? Why not let him off with a warning instead of charging him? It's a pretty cold law enforcement official who sees a couple in need of assistance, and instead of helping in a positive way, treats the father like a criminal.
The man was trying to get his wife to the hospital so she could give birth. Perhaps he shouldn't have been going 101 and instead should have pulled over into, oh I don't know, the parking lot of a strip club, if the baby was ready. But even if his judgment was impaired by the heightened tension of the situation, the trooper should have assisted, not arrested.
Do you think this dad deserved to be handcuffed?
Image via Casey Serin/Flickr
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Comments 94
no. i think he should have gotten a ticket though. he could have gotten into accident and hurt an innocent person. they could have called an ambulance instead of driving to the hospital. it's not safe to be in labor while driving over a 100 miles an hour.
No he shouldn't have been arrested, ticketed and fined yes, but not arrested.
I remember when my uncle was killed in a housefire, and we didn't know if he was still alive or what, and I was riding with my brother. He was driving like a maniac to get there, and we got pulled over. He explained the situation to the officer, and the officer was really nice and explained that he understood, but he needed to slow down because he might kill someone. He didn't even give him a ticket.
He was driving 101 miles per hour. Absolutely he deserved to be arrested. They should have called an ambulance in the first place.
He made a bad choice in driving that fast and therefore had to face the consequences of that choice. He should never have been driving that fast and if the baby was coming that quickly then he should have safely pulled over, called 911, and assisted his wife until the ambulance got there. Instead, he chose to put his, his wife's and his unborn baby's life at risk by driving recklessly. Not to mention all the other people out on the road who's lives were at risk because of his driving.
The trooper's job is to protect the safety of the general public and that's what he did when he arrested the father. I would think, that with this couple living 2 hours away from the hospital, and with this being their 8th baby, they would know that not getting to the hospital in time was a very real possibility and therefore would've had an alternate plan in place. A hospital is not essential to birth a baby.
101!?!
Yeah, a ticket sounds about right for me. That's insane! Handcuffed and jailed, no... but I'd have made them both ride in the ambulance if he was concerned about his mental state.
It seems like they could have given him a ticket and put him in the ambulance with his wife. I know when I was in labour I would have freaked out had someone left me to deliver without dh's support!
He absolutely deserved to be arrested. The way he was driving was putting so many lives in danger. If he'd been doing 80 in a 65? Sure, in that case just a warning would've been fine - but there was no reason he should have gone that fast. Ridiculous. Especially since it was the eighth time they were doing that!
My husband and I had a very serious discussion when I was pregnant about speeding to the hospital. He flat out said he would NOT do it. Just to be on the prepared side, we both read a bit about how to have a baby in an emergency situation. We wouldn't have risked the lives of others just so we could get a bed for me to lay down on...