Tenn. Trooper Helps Woman Deliver Baby on Highway: 'There Was No Waiting for the Ambulance'

Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Aaron Ranker helped a woman deliver a healthy baby boy after she went into labor while in traffic

Tennessee Officer Helps Deliver Baby on Side of the Road
Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper and woman. Photo: Tennessee Highway Patrol/Facebook

A trooper's EMT skills came in handy when he helped a woman deliver her baby on the side of the highway earlier this week.

On Tuesday, Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Aaron Ranker stepped in to assist a woman in need, who went into labor while she was driving on Interstate-40 in Tennessee's Dickson County, NBC affiliate WSMV reported.

Ranker, who was heading back to his post at the time, was alerted to the situation when he heard sirens and called dispatch to see what was going on, per the outlet.

"That's when they informed me that there was a lady on the side of the road that was in labor," he recalled.

The unnamed woman had been traveling to Memphis and was delayed by a crash scene during her trip, according to ABC affiliate WKRN. While driving in traffic, she began to go into labor and called her mom to help time her contractions.

When Ranker arrived on the scene and assessed the situation, he told WKRN that he knew "there was no waiting for the ambulance."

Ranker used a blanket to help the woman deliver her healthy baby boy in the front seat of a car within five minutes, according to WSMV.

"Using his prior experience as an EMT Trp. Ranker delivered a beautiful baby boy just before EMS arrived," Tennessee Highway Patrol's Nashville District wrote in a statement.

Afterwards, the mother and her newborn were taken to a nearby hospital.

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Tuesday marked Ranker's third time helping someone deliver a baby, but he told WKRN it was by far his most memorable birth.

In addition to sharing the news of Ranker's helpful act on social media, police also posted a photo of the state trooper posing with the happy new mom at the hospital.

"We are extremely proud of Aaron!" they wrote.

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