Man Rushing Pregnant Wife To Hospital IGNORES Police Lights! Wha - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

Man Rushing Pregnant Wife To Hospital IGNORES Police Lights! What Would You Do?

Posted: Updated:
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - An Iowa man who was pulled over for speeding as he rushed his pregnant wife to the hospital said he was determined to keep going despite the police lights flashing behind him.

Tyler Rathjen planned to keep going as his wife, Ashley, began giving birth to their son in the passenger seat. But a red light with heavy traffic finally forced him to stop.

"I should not stop, I'm not going to, I'm going to get to the hospital," Tyler Rathjen recalled thinking in an interview with Cedar Rapids TV station KCRG (http://bit.ly/ZOaOiD).

The baby's head and arms were already out by the time Iowa City Officer Kevin Wolfe reached the passenger door.

"We were all having a different experience," Wolfe said.

Ashley Rathjen gave birth to her third son, Owen, just blocks from Mercy Iowa City hospital on March 10.

"I kept saying: there's no break (in contractions) there's no break," she said. "He was coming at that time."

Wolfe helped with the final steps of delivery and then escorted the Williamsburg family to the hospital. His dashboard camera captured the episode.

Owen is now home with his parents and two brothers.

Ashley Rathjen said her newborn son will probably retell the story for years to come.

"I'm sure it will be a life story to tell everybody (about) how he made his grand entrance," she said.

  • Top Stories from KHQTop Stories

  • Wednesday, June 19 2013 1:48 AM EDT2013-06-19 05:48:26 GMT
    Wednesday: Looks to be the wettest day of the week, with wide spread rain showers that will be heavy at times, add to that breezy winds to 15 mph...it is looking to be a blustery day!  55°/45°.
    Wednesday: Looks to be the wettest day of the week, with wide spread rain showers that will be heavy at times, add to that breezy winds to 15 mph...it is looking to be a blustery day!  55°/45°. The BAD news....Unsettled weather will continue through the week, the GOOD news, you don't have to water your lawn for a few days AND things are looking up just in time for "Iron Man" weekend!
  • Wednesday, June 19 2013 1:47 AM EDT2013-06-19 05:47:29 GMT
    UPDATE: Tuesday night Northern Quest Casino & Resort posted on their Facebook page an update to the internal investigation they are conducting regarding Melanie Strandberg's resignation.
    UPDATE: Tuesday night Northern Quest Casino & Resort posted on their Facebook page an update to the internal investigation they are conducting regarding Melanie Strandberg's resignation. The report is inside this story:
  • Wednesday, June 19 2013 12:15 AM EDT2013-06-19 04:15:14 GMT
    Firefighters with Spokane Valley were called out to a technical rescue Tuesday evening near north Pines Road & Mirabeau Parkway.
    Firefighters with Spokane Valley were called out to a technical rescue Tuesday evening near north Pines Road & Mirabeau Parkway. Firefighters tell KHQ that a man and a woman in their 20's were hiking in the area when the woman fell about 20 down a bank.