John & Angela Coughlin Ticketed For Speeding to Hospital to Deliver Baby

• I'm sure there was more to the story and, because I have been there, can tell you about my experience. Sunday morning at 6am, I catch a car going 76mph in a 35 zone . On stopping the car, the driver jumps out and yells "my wife is having a baby!" Right then I shift from a cop to a trained EMT. I talk with the woman. She had labor starting at 5am, it was her 2nd child, and her first only took 4 hours of labor. That told me that she could deliver any second. The problem was; they were going AWAY from the hospital (they lived within 5 miles of a tier one Trauma Center in the State Capitol). It turns out that their first kid was born in a small town 50 miles away from where they lived and they wanted the 2nd child born there too. Oh, and after his wife tells him that she's in labor, the dad is so worried that he decides to take a shower first (his hair was wet and I asked why). I said that I would have Paramedics check her out to make sure she was safe to try and make the town they were shooting for. They did so and confirmed that birth was going to happen any second and told them NOT to go. The couple refused treatment and drove off. Within 10 minutes she went into labor and delivered on the side of the road, 25 miles short of their goal. 2 months later I am notified that I am being sued for delaying them. They felt that if I hadn't pulled them over they would have made their goal. The city paid them $5,000 because they said the attorney fees for even responding would have been more and it made it go away. I would have spent my own money to fight it but I wasn't allowed. I'm just saying that, especially in Police work, you are usually damned if you do, damned if you don't. Maybe the cop had some other experience that made him be so firm. I can bet with the people I met that if they had crashed, they would have sued me for NOT stopping them, not to mention all of the other people that they might have injured or been killed by them. Of course, back then cops were more about common sense than tickets (I wrote 1 or 2 a week). Now cities hire ticket writers because that brings in money. Are you aware that one 5mph over ticket brings in money, while a prosecution for murder drains millions from city budgets? And with citations you are guilty until proven innocent, the opposite of a crime? And you do NOT have the right to a trial with a citation? Citation = money coming in, indictment = money going out. I'm NOT saying that I agree with it, in fact I don't, I'm just saying that this is the way it works.

• 102 mph? That's just crazy. What if he'd lost control? They'd all have been dead, including whomever else they might have hit. He might not deserve a ticket but definitely deserves a slap upside the head.

• Howin the hell did they ever get that Prius to go that fast.

• 1 day after I was released from having my 1st baby (3 days after labor) I was summonsed for jury Duty Back-up. Apparently 3 months earlier when I was originally summonsed for same trial my DUE DATE was no excuse. I said “I can’t come! I can only fit into my damn ROBE and my body is a [wreck!]”(gross detailed removed for content) But they said if I didn’t get my ass to the court house in the next 20 minutes I was going to have some sort of warrant B.S. So- with my suit pants half zipped and leaking boobs I went down there. Funny- they didn’t want to interview me as an alternate after all and I was sent home after 2 hours to my now pissed mother who… well THAT is a story for another day good F-ing luck dude

• If? If my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle. But she doesn't and she isn't. No one got hurt, get over it.

• NY Mommy, there is NEVER a good reason to speed!!!

• this is completely bogus, anyone ever hear of 911!!!!! This judge should be disbarred. The ticket itself was righteous. If this jackass new parent had killed any of my family members on his way to the hospital in his jackass thoughts of importance, I would have sued him for more money than he would ever have earned in 10 lifetimes, not to mention I would have petitioned for homicide charges.

• Fuck. I used to drive 90MPH on the interstate daily to get to work.

• haha! Who knows. All I know is that he refused to let law enforcement do their job and put everyone's life at risk. Really, in the end, that's all that matters to me. And you're right, the cop may not have been "qualified" to deliver a baby, but the baby that I delivered came into this world just fine and I am not a doctor. I did, however, have 911 on the line and they walked me through it till the paramedic showed up. I didn't need to endanger my wife, my unborn child or anyone else on my way senselessly rushing to the hospital. There's always another option.

• awww.that was pretty shitty...sorry man

• In my case, the officer's offered no assistance. They could have escorted us to the hospital, but instead discreetly followed us and waited until we were inside to put the ticket on my car.

• And then the cop would have been helping to deliver the child after writing the stupid ticket. I'm sure he's quite qualified to do that.

• sorry to hear you have had to deal with this and grats on the new baby

• Anything can go wrong during the delivery of a child. I want to remind you, the child was born SIX minutes after they arrived.

• LOL Mine decided to turn on the tv set. I'm pretty sure everyone on the floor heard what I thought about that.

• How many of them were in labor? Let's see how risky this really is.

• Ok, the reason why only 11 in 100,000 mothers die during childbirth is because of our medical advancements. In order to use medical advancements, one must be around someone in the medical profession. Unless her husband was a doctor, it was worth the risk of having the child born in the hospital where they could handle any emergency that arose. She gave birth 6 mins after arriving? Seems to me, he timed it pretty well. When my daughter was born, she was born with her lungs collapsed. It took them nearly 5 mins to get her breathing. Had she been born in a car on the way to the hospital driving the speed limit, she may have died. There are reasons why ambulances speed... because sometimes emergency warrants it. Just as the judge stated.

• 1. Ambulances cost money and are often not covered under insurance. 2. People don't always have time to wait for an ambulance.

• What they don't have ambulances in New Hampshire?

• Ewwww placenta lol!!

• ...And watching your wife in pain and about to deliver your child in the backseat of a car, all the while worried that her life, and the life of your newborn baby could be in danger, trying to get to a hospital, because he by far is no doctor and has no clue what to do......priceless. Who gives a fuck about your crash stats.

• That sucks... On the up side, glad your baby was born healthy and your wife is okay. Good luck in court; hope you get a decent judge, too.

• Three months ago I was speeding to the hospital with my wife screaming next to me about ready to give birth. She asked me to pull over to wait for a friend who was going to assist, but quickly changed her mind after I pulled down the wrong way on a one-way. Two female officers pulled us over and spent a long time arguing with me in the street, I had jumped out of the car to explain myself, before I finally convinced them to actually look at my wife screaming in pain in the passenger seat. They let me go reluctantly. The baby was born about 50 minutes later. While loading up the car two days later ready to finally go home, I found the ticket on my windshield. Going to court in September. Eric

• Childbirth can be a life or death situation , in a too-quick labor a whole bunch of stuff can go bad and if it does, being in a non-hospital situation can be fatal to both baby and mom. The father may have been driving fast but I'm pretty sure it wasn't during rush hour. he wouldn't have been able to drive that fast.... And by the way, you'd be kind of purple/blue /red if you were forced through a 10-cm hole real fast....

• haha!!! Damn straight! I'd-a-gone ballistic on his ass! Just kidding... In the end, I would have chewed his ass for being an idiot, then would have handed the man a cigar for congrats on the baby... I'm all talk.

• Well... thankfully the judge was a bit more forgiving than you, BTG, lol

• The guy was probably in a panic and didn't even realize how fast he was going. And since the speed limit was 55 he was undoubtedly on a highway of some sort. The traffic would have had to be pretty light to go that fast. If I had a woman in my car screaming in labor and leaking bodily fluids trying to squirt out a baby, I'd speed too.

• ok whatever

• I don't care if people agree with me. What matters is their method of reason. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, I just like to hear a little bit of logic behind it, is all. :)

• I can agree to disagree, I appreciate your view though

• And so it states, John Coughlin, the most dangerous man on TCR.

• Car Crash Stats: There were nearly 6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States in 2005. The financial cost of these crashes is more than 230 Billion dollars. 2.9 million people were injured and 42,636 people killed. About 115 people die every day in vehicle crashes in the United States -- one death every 13 minutes. http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/stats.html

• Yep.... All good reasons. Instead of taking small risk (11 in 100,000 mothers die during childbirth) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternal_death Let's increase the risk by speeding and driving recklessly, then disobeying law enforcement. Good idea. Sorry guys. I know I'm going off on this stream, but this bothers me really alot! I'm not trying to be an ass, but I have little tolerance for people who refuse to think outside their scull cap.

• @Leah..................first time dads dont always think sanely when their women are in labor. . most folks only think of the amulance when the person is dealing with a cardiac arrest or something else. . to them, it is for more serious things. not something as 'routine' as a woman in labor. . and insurances wont cover in many cases the bill for the ambulance if it is a woman in labor. . and even if childbirth is routine. many moms still die in childbirth. . even in America here.

• Man, I can't believe so many of you are against the dad on this one. He seems like a nice guy who was doing what he thought was right for his family. I guess I'm not inclined to second-guess him on that.

• Ok so this cop is just a douche! (most are). He was going a little to fast but geesh. What person wouldn't u have ur wife screaming next to you! He probably had a headache from all the yelling and wanted to hurry up and get her screaming ass there! Plus he didn't want to ruin his car's interior with placenta and after birth!!

• Ohhh a new baby coming? Good luck to you and Mommy, hope it all goes off without a hitch! =)

• Not every pregnant woman is young and reckless or forgot to take a pill. For instance I have an incompetent cervix (look it up if you don't know what it is) and with my 1st pregnancy gave birth to my son in my car and he died.I am married and it was a planned and very much wanted pregnancy.

• The reason I use that as an example is because every cop will tell you it's ok to travel 5 miles over the speed limit. That's still speeding. Chances are, you won't get a ticket for that and if you do, it has very little to no impact on your insurance and driving record. Like firing a gun in city limits. I can go to a shooting range (which is in city limits) and fire a gun. But if I fire the gun even outside the firing range, it's illegal. It's the same thing, hence, the reason for the example. This isn't a pissing contest, it's a simple illustration of right and wrong. This guy was wrong... period. It doesn't matter what his reason is, it's wrong. It's never ok to endanger everyone because you fail to think. baby, no baby.... doesn't matter. There's nothing hypocritical about saying that he was in the wrong. It's very simple. It's one thing to drive 5-10 miles over the speed limit and still maintain control of your vehicle and have proper response time. It's another thing to drive double the speed limit, reduce your reaction time and increase your impact limit. simple. easy.

• hmmmm... i wonder what you'd want as a prize? oooooooo i know, i know....... an all day sucker....................lmao!! =)

• Bwahahahaha! Silly man. My husband thought it was appropriate to talk on his mobile whilst in the delivery room with me in the middle of a contraction. Let's just say I can't look at his boss with a straight face anymore after the language he heard come out of me while i was 'asking' hubby to 'please' turn the phone off...!! :)

• My sister's pregnancy was a life or death problem. She had a placental abruption. If they had waited for an ambulance, she and her son would be dead. The time window for her was a matter of just a few minutes before she bled out and her baby suffocated. This couple wasn't overreacting since the baby was born six minutes after they arrived. And we don't know what the roads in that area are like. Were they expressway, back country, divided hwys? I can easily see reaching that speed in a section of expressway. It doesn't mean they did that they whole way there, nor does it mean they didn't slow or stop at intersections, etc.

• I knew you'd get it! You get a cake!!

• o-oh, you've shown her your weaknesses! Now she knows exactly when to attack! You foolish, foolish man... :) Seriously though - congrats!

• The Goonies?

• You're welcome! ^_^

• "I dont wear a hairpiece!!!" Hey what movie is that line from?

• awww I was just trying to help... ::looks all pitiful and innocent like::

• Moet, thanks babe :D

• How dare you MY2Cents??? :(

• Ty Moet I hope so too!

• here, let me knock it back into place...bahahah

• Aww... I can't deny that face... *hauls off and cracks him one across his adorable little pout*

• LOL!!! *ducks*

• :(

• Watch the hair babe!!

• He finally learned by the third. He now lives in a home with four women. ~~grins evilly~~ 4 weeks a month of PMS.

• Ty! My2Cents! :-)

• I would, but I know you like it, and you'll never learn unless I do things to you that you <b>don't</b> like.

• Joking aside, hope momma has a swift and safe delivery and the little gal is one of those babies that sleeps blissfully through the night!

• :thwacks Enzo upside his noggin:

• grats papasan!!

• FINE, she can ride a bike while I follow her in the car. For safety reasons, ya know?

• *laughs* Poor, silly, ignorant guy! Actually, since it was his second rodeo, he should have known not to say things like that to a woman in labor.

• Thank you!! lol I think the only thing shes being selfish a bout is letting momma sleep! But I always tell her that if she wants to be born she has to wait till daddys Tv show is over or until I'v had a full nights sleep! lol jk!

• my second labor (first one was forever) The husband asked "are you sure? I don't want to sit there forever again" He never saw it coming.

• *SMACK*

• I think I am going to make the mother of my child walk to the hospital>>>> *waits for slap*

• YAY to NH - I am from NH. Although I don't know how I feel about having NH on this website. :) At least it isn't some psycho murder story. Anyway, 100+ MPH is excessive speed, and puts the safety of others, including the 2 + 1 on the way in danger - call an ambulance! I'm not sure the cop should have issued a ticket, I think his ego played a part.

• I seriously don't buy that they were going 105mph. What the fuck were they driving? What the fuck do I know though?

• Aww, congrats! Hopefully your baby isn't a selfish jerk like the one on the story, lol!

• I have a baby girl scheduled for delivery on April 12th but she could come anytime now so im just picturing myself in this predicament! lol I would probably call the hospital, load the other kids up, help baby momma to the car, then speed to the hospital but still try to obey most traffic laws and not do 102! lol but thank god there's a hospital only a few miles away! I think the dude in this story was driving too fast but i dont think he deserved a ticket, maybe a good ol warning might have been just as effective.

• @Blacktoothgrin.....If you are firing that gun illegally then it is hypocritical to say someone is an idiot for also firing a gun illegally. Just because you are not within city limits, doesn't mean you couldn't kill someone. Not trying to get in a pissing contest here, just stating my opinion, which I'm sure is all you are doing too. I guess we just disagree on this one.

• RAWR! \m/

• I don't think it's hypocritical. Look... I have a gun and I like to take it out and shoot it. There is a safe way and an unsafe way... Just because I fire a gun, doesn't make me a hypocrite for saying someone is an idiot for firing a gun in city limits. I think we're just saying what it is... There's no excuse.

• I'm with you John. Would we (and that judge) all be thinking highly of this couple, the dad in particular, if we instead read that the couple and unborn child died in a car accident because the father was driving over 100 mph? Or if we read that he killed someone else like a pedestrian or another driver? Would we then all be thinking that maybe a call for an ambulance was in order? Granted, I don't know the details of how this all happened, maybe they had called an ambulance, but holy hell if I were in labor I wouldn't want my significant other putting me and the baby at risk through reckless drivng - I'd be screaming at him to pull the f*ck over. Lots of babies have been born in crazy places like cars, stores, airplanes, crack houses - they're baby would have been no different. They should have pulled over and called 911 - hell, a cop was already there. I wonder how the 911 operator would have advised the dad if he/she knew how fast he was going? Self-righteous rant done.

• Yeah, but then you have to wait for the ambulance to get there.

• i wouldn't have written him. but then again i've had a kid and know how much that shit hurts. i also can imagine the panic of the of the situation with the baby not being patient and gracious enough to simply wait a few more minutes before making his appearence into the world. selfish baby.

• I only said that about everyone else's speed because you brought it up in your post, I realize that is not the debate. I was simply replying to what you stated.

• For the most part I am in agreement. The speed factor was in excess. On top of the fact I cannot STAND for someone to drive fast with me in there. (I have a week stomach and it gives me the rushes) the reason I suck at going on roller coasters, so I would have made hubby pull over at that rate. But everyone isn't the same. In the worlds of "what if's" he would have wrecked and killed someone. But in this case he didn't and was lucky. Except for the ticket part.

• lol, exactly! "Don't taze me, bro!"

• I also understand that in that situation, you're not going to make every decision with a cool, clear head.

• No I did not say that. But it is kinda hypocritical for people to be on here bashing this guy for doing something we've all done,and for less important reasons than our wife being about to give birth. And 50 in a 35 was an example. Perhaps 80 in a 55 would have been a better choice. Either way it is still speeding, doesn't make it right, but I'm not in the mood to play the hypocrite today. And most births are routine, as Leah pointed out, but that's because most births happen in a setting with doctors and nurses, not with husbands on the highway.

• I understand the husband, but 102 mph is REALLY fast & dangerous. He probably should have pulled over and asked the cop for an escort to the hospital. But then again, if he was that douchey to give the guy a ticket given the circumstances, who knows what would've happened if he pulled over.

• Agreed!

• 102 is excessive no matter your excuse. Let's see have the baby in the car, or possibly kill yourself, wife and baby and other motorists because you have a half a millisecond to react to anything in the road. I applaud him for his wanting to get help for mother and child, I abhor him for his selfishness. He deemed his emergency was over and beyond anyone else's safety.

• No, he shouldn't have been going that fast. If you do the math, the time you save by going that much over the speed limit isn't much. I'm willing to give him a pass because no one was hurt, it turned out all right, and he was given a ticket but it was dismissed. I imagine he was shitting bricks, but I'm glad he had the presence of mind to call 911 and eventually get the escort.

• @drlover 50 in a 35? That's more than likely a residential area. Well... Ask that to the people that have done that and hit children and killed them. Ask them if they think it's a big deal, now. No one thinks about the consequences... We all have done it, but it STILL doesn't make it right. Everyone travels over the speed limit... Are you trying to say that it's ok to do that because everyone else does?

• @drlover The speed everyone else was driving isn't the debate. What matters is that this person was flying past everyone on freeway. I doubt everyone was driving 102-105 mph.

• You're right... That was my first concern... But I didn't want to kill us all trying to get us there. Look, I'm not saying that he didn't have reason, I'm just saying that it wasn't right. A person that is hungry has pain and may have a medical need, but is it ok for them to steal? There's no justifying an action that puts others lives at risk. We may understand why he did it, but it still doesn't make it right.

• ok you've been there, I'll let you slide a little.... ::smiles::

• sorry you won't be thinking of anything but getting the wife to the hospital so she can get out of pain....

• The speed limit was 55, I doubt everyone else was going 55-60.

• haha! No, speeding isn't the most vile thing in the world... But doing double the speed limit in excess of 100 MPH when everyone else is going 55-60 mph, with a pregnant wife and unborn child...... I could think of some smarter things.....

• morning ..... lol!

• This. Speeding now seems to be the most vile thing in the world, yeesh. At least he wasn't texting and speeding while rushing to the hospital?

• Is there anyone on here right now that has never traveled over the speed limit? Anyone occasionally go 50 in a 35 zone? Any amount over the speed limit has the potential to be dangerous, that's why there are limits. This guy was worried about his wife and baby!

• LOL! - I have 3 kids. I rush 2 of them to the hospital and had to deliver one myself. Trust me, I know all about this stuff! haha! I can understand why he felt like he needed to rush to the hospital, too... I'm just saying he did it the wrong way and he SHOULD have got a ticket for it. It was a dumb thing to do. Nothing justifies putting other people's lives in danger. If he would have caused an accident that killed his wife and baby and another pregnant woman in the other car, I think you guys would be singing a different tune.

• lol ... actually i do too.. but i won a copy of Modern Warfare 2 and Tranformers War for Cybertron for Switched.com when the were giving stuff away.... i'm no fool.... i like free stuff! I am Black. lol ! along with chicken and watermelon....

• very true

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