An Indian-origin cab driver in Calgary became an unexpected lifesaver when he helped deliver a baby on a freezing winter night, local media reported. The driver, Hardeep Singh Toor, safely transported a pregnant woman and her partner to a hospital, with the woman giving birth en route.
Toor, who has been driving taxis for four years, answered a late-night dispatch call last Saturday for what he was told was an urgent hospital ride. It turned out to be a couple racing against time for the birth of their child, Global News reported on Wednesday.
“It was a pregnant lady, and her companion was helping her get in (the cab). She was in pain,” CTV quoted Toor as saying on Thursday.
Realizing the urgency, Toor considered calling an ambulance but decided the weather made it risky. “My thought was I should call an ambulance ... but looking at the weather, I thought maybe it’s not the right call,” he told CTV.
“Her body language was telling me she did not have the time. … I decided to drive,” he added.
Toor described the journey to the hospital as the “longest 30 minutes,” with kicking and shouting in the back seat and red lights testing his nerves along the way. Temperatures hovered around –23°C, and stormy, slippery roads made the drive even more challenging. His only focus, he said, was getting the family to the hospital safely and quickly, Global News reported.
Just blocks from the Peter Lougheed Centre, Toor noticed the commotion in the back seat had stopped—the baby had been born. “I did not stop. … I was thinking I should get there as soon as possible to get them (to medical attention),” he said.
Upon arrival, hospital staff rushed to assist the couple and their newborn. “When I got there and saw the staff running to the car, I stepped out—I let them do whatever they needed,” Toor added.
The staff later informed him that both mother and baby were doing well. Reflecting on the experience, Toor said, “It’s my first experience getting two people in and three people out,” calling the event a “proud moment.”