An Indian-origin taxi driver in Canada helped deliver a baby on a cold winter night after a routine pickup turned into an emergency dash to the hospital, reported by NDTV.
Hardeep Singh Toor, a cab driver based in Calgary, responded to a late-night dispatch last Saturday that he was told was an urgent ride to a hospital. The call quickly became far more dramatic when he realised the passengers were a couple racing against time for the birth of their child, according to Global News.
“It was a pregnant lady, and her companion was helping her get in (the cab). She was in pain,” CTV quoted Toor as saying.
From the moment he saw the couple, Toor understood how serious the situation was. With freezing weather outside and the woman in visible distress, he had to make a quick decision.
“My thought was I should call an ambulance ... but looking at the weather, I thought maybe it's not the right call,” he told CTV.
Trusting his instincts, Toor continued driving toward the hospital, ensuring that all three passengers — the couple and their newborn — reached medical care safely.
“Her body language was telling me she did not have the time. … I decided to drive,” he added.
Toor recalls the drive to the hospital as the longest 30 minutes, marked by kicking and shouting in the back seat, with red lights testing his nerves at regular intervals.
With temperatures around –23°C, stormy weather and slippery roads, Toor said his only focus was getting them to the hospital as quickly and safely as possible, Global News reported.
Just blocks away from the hospital, Peter Lougheed Centre, Toor noticed that the kicking and screaming had stopped in the backseat.
The baby was born in the back seat with the building already in sight.
“I did not stop. … I was thinking I should get there as soon as possible to get them (to medical attention),” Toor said.
As soon as they reached the hospital, the staff rushed to help the couple and the newborn baby.
“When I got there and saw the staff running to the car, I stepped out—I let them do whatever they needed,” Toor added.
He said that the staff informed him that the mother and baby were doing well.
“It's my first experience getting two people in and three people out,” said Toor, who has driven cabs for four years. He called it a "proud moment."
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