Watch as deputy helps deliver baby along Florida highway — and has parents laughing
A sheriff’s deputy helped deliver a baby on the shoulder of a Florida highway and frantic body cam video shows he even had the parents laughing.
It happened around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 30, on Highway 60 near Plant City and the end result was a “healthy baby girl,” the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
“A driver approached Master Deputy Daniel ‘Red’ Jones in a panic. The driver stated his pregnant wife was about to give birth,” the sheriff’s office reported.
“Without hesitation, he sprang into action to assist the mother in delivering her baby on the side of the road. He provided constant encouragement and emotional support and utilized his training to ensure a safe delivery. Within minutes, a beautiful, healthy baby girl was born.”
Video shows the baby arrived as the mom reclined uncomfortably across the front seat of the couple’s vehicle.
Jones arrived well prepared in rubber gloves, and is seen holding the mother’s hand and firing off questions about the status of her pregnancy and frequency of contractions.
He then tried some small talk.
“Is this your first baby? No? How many?“ Jones says, before learning it’s their sixth child.
“Six? Ya’ll need a better hobby.”
That had the couple laughing, and provided a momentary distraction that ended quickly in the arrival of a screaming infant.
“I got a baby!” Jones says. “A pretty little girl. ... That’s a beautiful sound.”
Jones had made sure to call Hillsborough Fire & Rescue, which arrived in time to take the girl to a hospital for evaluation, officials said.
The deputy bid the couple farewell with a suggestion they consider naming the girl “Red.”
Jones has been with the sheriff’s office since December 2001 and it was not his first time helping deliver a baby, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the release.
“This is his third time assisting a citizen with delivering a baby!” Chronister said.
“While delivering in the front seat of a car was not the original birth plan, Master Deputy Jones reassured the mother of six that she was in good hands. I wish mom, dad, and their new baby girl all the joy and happiness.”
Plant City is about 25 miles northeast of Tampa.
This story was originally published May 3, 2023 at 7:43 AM with the headline "Watch as deputy helps deliver baby along Florida highway — and has parents laughing."