Montgomery County police officer helps deliver baby in car on roadway

April 23 may be Take Your Child To Work Day, but for one Montgomery County police officer, it was actually help deliver a baby at work day.

Officer Dan Campbell was driving on Georgia Avenue working his overnight shift in Wheaton. While on patrol, he noticed a car speeding on the roadway.

When he pulled alongside the car, the driver pointed out to Officer Campbell that his wife was going into labor.

Campbell put on his sirens and attempted to escort them to Holy Cross Hospital located about five minutes away.

But that would prove to be too much time and the baby just could not wait.

"He had stopped and the gentlemen jumped out of his car, and I was getting out of mine, he is just yelling, ‘Baby now! Baby now!'" Officer Campbell said. "There was a slight language barrier to the whole scene, but we managed to get through it."

After calling dispatch for emergency help, Campbell got his medic bag from his vehicle and helped deliver the baby shortly after midnight.

"She had already started pushing," he said. "The baby's head was almost completely out. We were there to catch the head and deliver the baby with no problem."

Fire and Rescue eventually arrived and the family was taken to the hospital where the baby and mother are both healthy and doing fine.

Officer Campbell was a medic in the United States Army before becoming an officer. He said he has had training in childbirth, but delivering a baby in a car on Georgia Avenue was something he never expected to experience.

"It makes me feel pretty good," said Campbell. "The police have been taking a bad rap lately. It's really good to see that we are out here to help people."