Florida Doctor Delivers Baby at Gas Station

Florida Doctor Delivers Baby at Gas Station
A Florida woman gave birth at a gas station and, luckily, a medical doctor was on hand to perform a safe delivery. (Stock photo, CC0)
Tom Ozimek
12/11/2017
Updated:
12/11/2017

It was a tense moment when a woman went into labor at a gas station in Merritt Island, Florida. on Friday, Dec. 8, but thankfully, a man who had stopped for gas turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.

Dr. Javier Soto, a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist on his way to the hospital to perform a scheduled baby delivery at a nearby clinic, noticed his fuel light had come on and pulled into the Speedway in Merritt Island to fill up, according to People.
It is reported that as Soto was preparing to pump gas, a man who saw Soto’s blue hospital attire pulled into the gas station and approached him seeking emergency medical assistance for his wife—she was about to give birth in their vehicle. An emergency crew was on its way, according to News6, but Soto decided it would be in the best interest of mother and child to intervene on the spot.

“I could wait for the ambulance or deliver the baby,” Soto told People. “I don’t know how the baby’s doing at this point. I thought it was better to deliver the baby.”

Soto instructed the father-to-be to round up some crucial supplies: scissors, gloves, and shoelaces.

The baby came surprisingly quickly.

“Normally patients in the hospital push for an hour or two,” Soto said, but this baby was born after just one push by the mother, according to People.

In another twist of fate, the new mother turned out to already know Soto, having been a former patient of his.

“Thank God everything came out fine,” Soto told People.

An ambulance arrived not long after that and whisked mother and child away to the hospital.

“She has an angel watching over her, that’s for sure,” said Soto.

And a final message from your friendly neighborhood news reporter. Please help support independent journalism by sharing this article far and wide on social media. Thanks!
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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