Police, Paramedic Help Deliver Baby on I-95 in Norwalk

Police and paramedics helped deliver a baby boy in the back of an ambulance Thursday along Interstate 95 in Norwalk when a couple en route to the hospital couldn't make it in time.

Ricardo Vilfranche was driving on I-95 to bring his pregnant wife to Stamford Hospital on Thursday morning. She was in labor with contractions that were three minutes apart and it got to the point where they weren't going to make it to the hospital. The baby was ready to enter the world sooner, just a few exits away.

The father initally pulled over between exit 16 and 17, calling 911, and then saw an accident scene at exit 16. He pulled over at the onramp so the couple could ask troopers on scene for help, according to state police. Two troopers from Troop G and a Norwalk police officer helped his pregnant wife out of the car and laid her down on a blanket on the side of the highway.

The baby was crowning just after 8 a.m. and the troopers began to help deliver the infant, state police said. Then Norwalk Fire and EMS arrived. After racing the woman to the ambulance, a paramedic finished the job and delivered the baby boy about 90 seconds later. The couple named their newborn, Ryan Carter Vilfranche.

State police said that the baby is healthy and breathing. State police escorted the ambulance to Norwalk Hospital, where the family is now.

Exit 16 was shut down briefly while state police waited for the ambulance to arrive, but the scene has since cleared and the ramp reopened.

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