Dad catches baby in his arms as dispatcher talks couple through Indiana roadside birth
Racing to the hospital for the birth of their first child, Christina and Zachary Pruitt realized they wouldn’t make it in time.
The Indiana couple called 911, and Spencer County emergency dispatcher Lara Hancock “sprang into action” to guide the Pruitts.
“It all happened so fast and we tried to make it, but God & her had different plans,” Christina Pruitt said in an Aug. 27 Facebook post after the arrival of their daughter, Brynlynn River Grace.
Hancock, who told the Dubois County Free Press she wasn’t originally supposed to work the night of the unexpected birth, provided instructions to Zachary Pruitt to help his wife in labor.
The dispatcher told WEVV she was nervous as she helped the couple — but also “excited and just full of a lot of emotions.”
“I could hear her, of course, having labor pains in the background,” Hancock told the Free Press. “I asked him to pull over, and when the father was able to check the mother, he saw that the baby was coming.”
Three minutes after the call was made, Brynlynn was born along the side of the road. Christina Pruitt said her husband caught their baby in his arms.
A deputy arrived to help provide additional support and the baby and mother were taken to a hospital for treatment, according to the sheriff.
Hancock described in a Facebook post a “sense of peace, love and joy” knowing the mother and baby were OK. She also praised the Pruitts, who she said “did the work.”
Now Hancock has a new title — Auntie Lara — as the couple invited her to come meet the baby, WEVV reported.
“As a dispatcher, we don’t always know what happens afterwards,” she told the station. “So, knowing that I get to, it’s a true blessing.”
Hancock said Tuesday she is grateful to be a part of the Pruitts’ story. She recently had the opportunity to hold Brynlynn and meet the new parents.
“I became a dispatcher almost 2 years ago to help people in the community. A community I hold dear to my heart.” Hancock said on Facebook. “I like that at the end of my shift, I know I may have made a difference to someone who could have been having the worst day of their lives and that all of my officers/deputies went home safe to their families!”
Spencer County is in southern Indiana, about 70 miles southeast of Louisville.
Baby born just in time to share birthday with both parents. ‘The best birthday present’
