Constable Shaw (name withheld) was driving along the Northern Motorway on Thursday afternoon, returning to Orewa station after finishing his shift, when he saw a car parked in the emergency stop lane.
“I went and spoke to the driver to make sure everything was OK,” he said in a statement released by police today. “There was a woman sitting in the back seat, clearly in labor.”
Distraught first-time parents Shraddha and Gaurav Patil missed a turn at North Shore Hospital.
“Unfortunately, the highway was just jammed,” Gaurav said. “I started sweating and called 111. The next minute Constable Shaw pulled up in front of us.”
After driving their car a couple of kilometres, Shaw realized the “funny” traffic meant there was a good chance the baby would arrive before they could get to the maternity ward, so he stopped them and told them to jump in, turning on the lights and sirens.
“I took them to the room and left. It was really cool — a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Shaw said.
Baby Aarav, completely unaware of the commotion he had created, showed up only at 7:30 am on Friday.
Gaurav said he didn’t have much time to thank Shaw for his efforts.
“I can’t tell you how relieved we were to see him. The way Constable Shaw helped us was just incredible.”