'Once in a lifetime event': Baby delivered in tractor-trailer during snowstorm

A baby was born on the side of the road in a tractor-trailer in Pennsylvania during a winter storm, which first responders said was something out of a Hollywood movie.

Key Takeaways:

• A winter storm brought massive amounts of snowfall across Pennsylvania, with some areas reaching as much as 20 inches.

• In Cumberland County, firefighters responded to an emergency delivery, where a newborn was born in a tractor-trailer on the side of the road.

• The baby needed warming and neonatal resuscitation.

• A plow truck operator helped clear the way to take the mom and baby to the hospital.

The Details:

Cumberland Goodwill EMS reported that they received a call for a woman who was in labor in a tractor trailer parked by the side of the road in Cumberland County, during white-out conditions. Why the woman was in labor in a tractor-trailer is not yet known.

Citizens Fire Company No. 1 and Cumberland Goodwill EMS responded, which took place 10:00am on Sunday morning, during the most intense part of the storm. "If Hollywood was writing this for one of those first responder shows, all the first responders that I know would be rolling their eyes at the circumstances that happened. You have a woman in labor in a tractor-trailer," Nathan Harig, assistant chief of administration with Cumberland Goodwill EMS, told WGAL.

Yet when the first responders got there, the delivery had become complicated.

Zoom In:

Cumberland County EMS sent an ambulance with special pediatric equipment, allowing them to help the new baby in the difficult circumstances. "It required neonatal resuscitation, which is extra care that our paramedics provide, to help a child who's been born," Harig explained. At first, the baby wasn't able to breathe independently, and needed help getting warmed up.

"We train for it, but it's not something people encounter a lot. But when you factor in all the other things that made this rescue a challenge, it just really goes to show the preparedness that all these first responders have," Harig said.

Adding to the situation, the ambulance needed help getting to the baby, and then back to the hospital. So a plow truck driver from South Middleton Township helped them make it safely to the hospital. “Field deliveries are uncommon — factor in the snow and the need for extra care from our paramedic and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event,” Harig told PennLive.

The Bottom Line:

Additional information about the mother and baby was not available, with Harig citing HIPAA. But the heroic delivery will surely be remembered by the family, and the community, for years to come.