‘My family cannot thank him enough’: Police officer delivers baby on I-40
“Officer Larson was very kind and extremely helpful, especially when it was so greatly needed.”
DICKSON, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Dickson police officer is being credited with helping a woman deliver her newborn baby on the side of Interstate 40 on Sept. 19.
Dickson police said the woman was on her way to the hospital when she went into active labor at about 6 a.m. near mile marker 176. Officer Dyllon Larson responded to the call and was told the woman was alone in her car and her water had broken.
“I arrived on the scene at (6:09) and ran to the passenger side of the car and could tell the driver was having a contraction,” Larson said. “Shortly after she had another, they were only a minute apart or less. I held her hand and reassured her that everything was going to be alright, that medical help is almost here.”
After waiting for a few minutes, the woman said the baby was coming.
“I ran to the driver’s side of the car and lifted her dress to see the baby was beginning to crown,” Larson said. “Only a few short moments after that the baby was born. I immediately cleared anything I could from his mouth and stimulated his back until he was inhaling and exhaling, then gave him to mom.”
Shortly after, Dickson County Medical Services arrived along with other first responders and the mother and baby were taken to St. Thomas Midtown Hospital. The mother and baby Theodore visited the Dickson Police Department on Tuesday to thank Larson for his heroics.
“Officer Larson was very kind and extremely helpful, especially when it was so greatly needed,” the mother said. “My family cannot thank him enough for stopping to help us.”
The baby was born a healthy eight pounds and two ounces and was 21 inches long.
“Coincidentally, Theodore was born on the birthday of Officer Larson’s first of his four children and was the second baby delivered by Officer Larson, having previously delivered his fourth child,” Dickson police said.
“With everything bad and disheartening that law enforcement officers have to deal with on almost a daily basis, it is moments of being able to make a positive impact in people’s lives that encourage us at the beginning of each shift,” said Dickson Police Department Chief Seth Lyles. “I can’t say enough how proud I am of Officer Larson putting into action the mission to serve and protect.”
Larson is the second Dickson officer to assist in the delivery of a baby in recent years. Sgt. Sierra Reprogal assisted in a roadside delivery in November 2018 when the mother realized she wasn’t going to make it to the hospital in time.
Copyright 2024 WSMV. All rights reserved.