Red Arrow driver delivers baby

At Red Arrow Motorcoach, Customer Service has always been a top Core Value, but we’ve never had one of our employees take it to this level before. Driver Shawn Coulter, after less than a month on the job with the company, ended up helping a couple deliver their baby in the bathroom of the coach at the Red Arrow stop at the University of Lethbridge.

As the coach was preparing to to depart from the University Transit stop, a passenger came running up to the driver exclaiming, “My wife is giving birth in the bathroom!” Immediately, Shawn pulled over, called 911, and hurried to the back to help. The baby was coming fast and furious; mom’s water had already broke and the contractions were only one minute apart.

Acting as a liaison between the 911 Operator and the parents, the driver described what they could see, and yes it was the crown of the baby’s head and umbilical cord. They were instructed to try to find scissors and a string or shoelace, and Shawn ripped off his shoelace in record time! Thankfully at that moment the ambulance showed up. To keep the baby and mom comfortable, Shawn cranked the heat up and a few minutes later, the baby was born. The paramedics were able to safely guide the baby to his first minutes of life, right on a Red Arrow motorcoach.

Shawn was delighted to be the first to say “Welcome Aboard.”

“I’ve delivered many passengers to where they need to go in my lifetime, but never a baby!” says Shawn Coulter, the Red Arrow Driver. “It was obviously not the first time for the paramedic, he reminded me of a quarterback on one knee ready to receive the ball.”

Shawn was extremely professional and careful throughout this entire experience.

“We’re so proud of Shawn for jumping right in to help,” says John Stepovy, Director of Sales and Business Development. “In just a short time, Shawn is exemplifying many of the Core Values we’ve been embracing as a company for many years.”

The mother, Jennifer McCallum, and the father will certainly remember this moment for a life time.

“We did change his name after he was born on Red Arrow,” Jennifer says. “It was going to be Darius Axel, but we changed it to Darius Arrow.”

The family is now at home in Calgary and is doing well. We wish them all the best!

Darius Arrow Wayne Boreen at 6 days old