Baby delivered in tractor-trailer during snowstorm
By Tom Lehman
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SOUTH MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania (WGAL) — During this past weekend’s snowstorm in Cumberland County, EMS personnel delivered a baby in a tractor-trailer parked along a rural road near Carlisle.
It happened about 10 a.m. Sunday morning in South Middleton Township, along York Road, as some of the heaviest snow of the storm fell, according to Nathan Harig, assistant chief of administration with Cumberland Goodwill EMS.
“If Hollywood was writing this for one of those first responder shows, all the first responders that I know would be rolling their eyes at the circumstances that happened. You have a woman in labor in a tractor-trailer,” Harig said.
Harig noted that conditions along York Road on Sunday morning were much worse than they appeared 24 hours later on Monday, complicating the roadside delivery.
“It required neonatal resuscitation, which is extra care that our paramedics provide, to help a child who’s been born. So, it just seemed over the top, but, Oh, and you also have the snowplow. That had to help us, kind of with an escort to the hospital,” he said.
Cumberland County EMS staff, equipped with specialized pediatric equipment, assisted in delivering the baby, helping to warm and stimulate the newborn to breathe independently.
“We train for it, but it’s not something people encounter a lot. But when you factor in all the other things that made this rescue a challenge, it just really goes to show the preparedness that all these first responders have,” Harig said.
Cumberland Goodwill credited Citizens Fire Company No. 1 and a plow truck driver from South Middleton Township for helping them reach the hospital.
A spokesperson for UPMC said the family was not ready to share their story and did not have an update on the baby’s and mother’s conditions.
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