Derry police help man witness birth of son after car breakdown
- Published
Stephen Daly, his wife Natasha, their son Lucas and their new baby boy enjoyed a quiet family moment after the earlier fuss
Two police officers in Londonderry have been praised for helping a man get to hospital to witness the birth of his son after his car had broken down.
Stephen Daly, whose wife Natasha was booked in for a Caesarean section, was driving to Altnagelvin Hospital in the city when his car battery died.
He was left stranded at the side of a road but help was soon on hand.
Two police officers saw Mr Daly looking "unsurprisingly distraught" and took him to hospital in their patrol car.
Mr Daly explained that he had left the couple's other two children Lucas, four, to school and Mason, two, with a childminder and he was travelling to join his wife.
Constables Merron and Young stopped with Mr Daly after his car had broken down on Thursday.
"I told them my battery was totally dead and I mentioned that my wife was booked in for C-section and was going to theatre," said Mr Daly.
"They just said straight away: 'Do you want to get into our car and we will get you up to the hospital?'"
Mr Daly said it was a clear ride to the hospital in the police car, with its lights flashing and siren sounding.
Baby Daly, oblivious to the commotion that went on before he was born
"They just went into the middle of the carriageway and everybody moved," he said.
Once he got to the hospital and got gowned up it was only 10 minutes before his baby was born.
But what did his wife think of all that?
"She was panicking," said Mr Daly. "I had texted her but she thought I was joking."
The couple have yet to settle on a name for baby Daly.
Constable Merron said it was just "part and parcel of our duties".
"Thanks to our lights and siren - our blues and twos - we got through the traffic jam and got the man to hospital just in time for the birth of his baby boy," added the officer.
"We're all about keeping people safe - it's what we do on a daily basis - but I have to say this was a new one, at least for my colleague and myself."