Experienced Paramedic Helps Deliver Healthy Baby Girl on the Side of Busy Gauteng Highway
- A dedicated paramedic went beyond the call of duty to help a woman who in labour in a car parked on the highway
- ER24 Gauteng Regional Manager Gareth Staley was flagged down by two JMPD officers for assistance before he retrieved his medical equipment and assisted the woman
- The experienced medical professional told Briefly News that although he hadn’t delivered a baby in years, previous training kicked in during the emergency
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Committed to the role to provide advanced emergency medical care for critical and emergent patients is qualified paramedic and ER24 Gauteng Regional Manager, Gareth Staley.
He was recently stopped in his tracks en route home when he noticed a pregnant woman in the backseat of a car whose baby couldn’t wait to come into the world.
Source: UGC
Gareth was driving on his way home in the heavy rain along the N1 south when he noticed a Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) vehicle responding in the emergency lane with a light motor vehicle closely behind.
After a short distance, he was flagged down by the two JMPD officers, who had stopped with the small vehicle. On closer inspection, he found a pregnant woman in labour lying on the vehicle's back seat.
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When duty calls
Jumping into action, Gareth retrieved his medical equipment and assisted the woman. It wasn’t long after the woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl. An ER24 ambulance was called to transport the family to a nearby hospital.
Gareth, who has been a medic for 19 years, told Briefly News that he has previous experience delivering babies.
“Delivering a baby is something I last did many years ago, so I probably was a little hesitant to do it on the highway in the rain, but once I saw the delivery was imminent, all the training and previous exposure to multiple deliveries kicked back in.”
Being a medic
Paramedics are medical professionals who specialise in emergency treatment and primarily work in emergency rooms and ambulances, where they treat people with urgent problems.
“The hardest part of my calling is being part of the ‘dying phase’ in a patient’s life. Trying to help them, and then having to speak to the family to break the unfortunate news is disheartening."
Be that as it may, the father of four dogs shared that being a paramedic is a fulfilling career for him and that every patient, task and project is a chance to help someone in need.
Woman gives birth on a bus with help from fellow passengers
In a separate story, Briefly News reported that an expectant woman whose water broke while aboard a bus delivered a healthy child with the help of fellow passengers.
The incident, which happened in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, saw the bus driver divert the bus to the Rocha Faria Hospital after learning that the passenger was about to give birth.
Soon after arriving at the hospital, some people alighted to request help from hospital staff as others remained behind to help her give birth.
Recounting the incident, one passenger said that the woman was already experiencing contractions when she boarded the bus and refused to sit down.
Source: Briefly News
