You're in the News Nation & World - Odd News section

Speeding Iowa dad ignores police with baby coming

The Associated Press

Monday, Mar. 18, 2013 | 10:45 AM

tool name

close
tool goes here
0 comments

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- An Iowa man who was pulled over for speeding as he rushed his pregnant wife to the hospital said he was determined to keep going despite the police lights flashing behind him.

Tyler Rathjen planned to keep going as his wife, Ashley, began giving birth to their son in the passenger seat. But a red light with heavy traffic finally forced him to stop.

"I should not stop, I'm not going to, I'm going to get to the hospital," Tyler Rathjen recalled thinking in an interview with Cedar Rapids TV station KCRG (http://bit.ly/ZOaOiD).

The baby's head and arms were already out by the time Iowa City Officer Kevin Wolfe reached the passenger door.

"We were all having a different experience," Wolfe said.

Ashley Rathjen gave birth to her third son, Owen, just blocks from Mercy Iowa City hospital on March 10.

"I kept saying: there's no break (in contractions) there's no break," she said. "He was coming at that time."

Wolfe helped with the final steps of delivery and then escorted the Williamsburg family to the hospital. His dashboard camera captured the episode.

Owen is now home with his parents and two brothers.

Ashley Rathjen said her newborn son will probably retell the story for years to come.

"I'm sure it will be a life story to tell everybody (about) how he made his grand entrance," she said.


Similar stories:

  • Iowa officer stops speedy SUV, helps deliver baby

  • Hoiberg as big a star as Iowa State coach as he was as a player

  • Children's Hospital cancer program gets $250,000k

  • Democrats face challenging Senate landscape

  • Iowa officer pulls unconscious driver from flames

The Bee's story-comment system is provided by Disqus. To read more about it, see our Disqus FAQ page. If you post comments, please be respectful of other readers. Your comments may be removed and you may be blocked from commenting if you violate our terms of service. Comments flagged by the system as potentially abusive will not appear until approved by a moderator.

more videos »
Visit our video index