An expecting Massachusetts couple found themselves in a dicey situation recently: stuck in traffic on the way to the hospital, with a mom very much in labor.
Driving in the breakdown lane to speed their trip, John and Jennifer Davis were waved on by the first two state troopers they encountered, told only to be careful and keep their hazard lights on. Then they got to trooper number three.
The couple asked if they could continue to the next exit -- theirs -- in the breakdown lane. To their surprise, not only did the trooper say no, he made them wait while he dealt with another vehicle and then questioned the couple's claim that Davis was pregnant.
"What's under your jacket?" the officer asked, according to Davis' account in the Boston Globe. "I said, 'My belly.' He waited and gestured with his head like, 'OK, let's see it.' He waited for me to unzip my jacket. I mean, it was so clear that I was pregnant."
Unmoved, the trooper issued the Davises a $100 citation for driving on the shoulder, handing them an envelope and saying they'd be getting something in the mail.
According to Jennifer Davis, the trooper asked the couple at least twice if they wanted an ambulance, but they declined. With contractions coming about 3 minutes apart, and being close to the hospital by this point, she replied "We just want to get off this exit."
A State Police spokesman said that their policy discourages the use of police escorts for private vehicles, except in life-or-death situations.
The Davises did finally arrive at the hospital in Cambridge, Mass. and a baby girl was delivered a couple of hours later. The ticket arrived a couple of weeks later.