Dr. Catherine Baucom rides to the rescue. (BRASS Surgery Center)Dr. Catherine Baucom was stuck in traffic while making her way to the BRASS Surgery Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Wednesday. So the determined doctor left her car behind and cut through the traffic jam on a 7-year-old's pink bicycle.
"Catherine called, she was outside my house. She said 'Hey do you have a bike?'" colleague Dr. Brian Barnett told WAFB. "I walked outside and said yeah, it's a kids bike. I got the air pump out and aired the tires up as much as I could."
The nearly 6-foot-tall surgeon then donned the girl's helmet and peddled away.
"It was hot pink and small," Dr. Baucom said, "The helmet was pink with princesses."
Dr. Baucom then cut through traffic on Baton Rouge Interstate 10 before being stopped by police. When she explained the unusual circumstances surrounding her mode of travel, police immediately escorted her through traffic and to the operating room.
"They said we can escort you and he essentially drove past me and then he turned around and was videotaping me," Dr. Baucom said. "I did tell him I didn't know if he could keep up with me."
Dr. Baucom herself is an avid cyclist. And as a small reward for her dedication, Dr. Barnett's daughter said she could keep the princess-themed helmet. However, the bike itself has been returned.