These parents will have a story to tell.
On Tuesday, around 8:45 a.m., Pepper Pike Police received a call from a father-to-be about his wife being in labor.
The father told police contractions were two minutes apart and the baby was crowning. He said they were getting on I-271 northbound from Chagrin Boulevard and needed to pull over. At that point, the Pepper Pike Fire Department was dispatched to the scene.
"He said he could see the baby's head start crowning, and we got called and we're dispatched up to the highway," Pepper Pike Fire Lt. David Tapp told News 5.
First responders arrived on scene, and Pepper Pike Police blocked off traffic before firefighters helped deliver the baby.
"We just assisted the mom with labor, pushing," Tapp said. "She knows how to; she's said it's her second baby, so she knows what she was doing and [we] just assisted and ... we're there to make sure there's no complications."
Tapp said this is the first time in his 25-year career he has done something like this.
"I want to thank the police department for their help," Tapp said. "My other firefighter, Victor, was very helpful in the matter, as both of our first. So besides the nerves, we thought it went very well, and we're just happy everybody's doing well."
Tapp said the labor lasted about 25 minutes, and the mom delivered a healthy baby boy.
The baby was transported to a nearby hospital along with the father, and they worked to get the mom out of the car. She was transported as well.
"When we got the baby delivered, mom was still in the car, in an awkward position, and for the safety of the baby, we wanted to make sure we got the baby to the hospital, and the father went with us with the baby. And mom was transported by the squad behind us," Tapp said.
While there are obvious risks with delivering a baby on the side of the highway, Tapp said his department is trained to avoid the hazards of operating along a highway.
"The father pulled over. It's probably the safest thing he could have done (rather) than trying to speed and get through traffic," Tapp said. "He probably would not have made it to Hillcrest on his own without the baby being born anyway. So that's probably the right thing to do is pull over and stay safe, get off the side of the road."
Tapp said he has no updates on the condition of the baby boy and the mother, but he mentioned that when he spoke with the father, the two seemed to be healthy.
