Cop Gives Couple Ticket After Helping Them Rush to Hospital for Baby Delivery
- Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:35am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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When a pregnant Angela Couglin looked at her husband John this fall and said “You need to get me to the hospital,” he loaded up the car and took off. Fast.
In a hurried attempt to ensure his soon-to-be-born son wasn’t born in the car, he sped. In fact, he sped (at 102 mph) right by a New Hampshire state trooper. When the trooper realized what was happening, he escorted the couple to the hospital. But then he did something that has many scratching their heads: he gave them a ticket.
NECN reports:
“I found my cell phone,” says John, “called 911 to make sure he knew I wasn’t trying to out run him.”
The trooper escorted the couple to Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, helped Angela out of the car, and waited outside the delivery room with a ticket in his hand. A ticket written with just six minutes to spare before Kyle’s official time of birth.
“He said congratulations on your son but I’ll see you in court,” recalls John.
The couple was at court Tuesday for a trial that’s been rescheduled for next week. They had with them a letter from the midwife that states the baby’s life could have been in danger had they not made it to the emergency room so quickly. Kyle’s precipitous birth left him black and blue. No comment at this point from state police. Dad has no regrets.
“I really didn’t think it was a big deal. I wasn’t recklessly driving, i wasn’t speeding on a Friday afternoon at four o’clock. I was just getting them to safety. “
But by Wednesday morning, the state trooper’s office did respond and defended the ticket, saying it was a matter of public safety:
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Comments (196)
Sick twisted Freak
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:32amThe law is the law and i’m pretty sure there is no exception for speeding when your wife is pregnant. I have had an officer let me speed when my wife was pregnant and I appreciated it, but I would have gladly paid the ticket, because I did the crime.
I think he should have been more reasonable, but he has the right to give the ticket because the law was broken. Also the judge should not throw it out – Justice should be blind and not discriminate because of some special circumstances. If it is OK to speed when pregnant, that should be written in the law.
Report Post »spreadcommonsensenot pc
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:36amthen cops would have to give themselves tickets also——sheesh, nice belligerant attitude
Report Post »chasbronson
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:37amCommon sense has left us?
Report Post »Sick twisted Freak
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:44amcommonsense- not belligerant – I just take responsibility for my actions.
Dont take me wrong – I said I appreciate the overlooking of it and I think the officer should have let it go, but he still has the right to give the ticket.
Report Post »LLATPOH
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:51amYou’re right, the law is the law. However, the laws aren’t usually written to cover every situation, which is where the judge comes in.
It‘d be like a cop writing a citation for jaywalking to someone who’s running across the street from a collapsing building. Is jaywalking illegal? Yes. Should the cop REALLY write a ticket on it? Meh.
This incident with the guy going >100mph could go either way, but I’m guessing the judge will be lenient.
Report Post »Sick twisted Freak
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:05amLLATPOH -
I agree, we cannot put everything in a law and need to have some common sense on application of the laws. I just dont like letting judges start overriding laws because they feel sorry for someone. In this case it is not that big of a deal, but in general the best way to get a law overturned or changed is to enforce it strictly and then let congress rewrite it or not after the public pressure.
Report Post »the_ancient
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:00pmWOW that is all kind stupid
Killing someone is a Crime as well, so I hope if someone is tring to harm you or your family to do not “break the law” by helping you. and FYI, self defense, is a LEGAL DEFENSE you still break the law, but you have a LEGAL DEFENSE for breaking said law i.e defending yourself or others from harm but you have to PROVE you were doing that, the state does not have to prove you were not.
Circumstance and Intent should ALWAYS be a factor
Report Post »Sick twisted Freak
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:06pmAs you can tell, I am not a lawyer or expert at all in law, so please excuse my stupidity – But is “self defense” not written in the law and it is up to a judge to decide whether this exception to the law has been met?
Report Post »the_ancient
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 3:34pmDepends on the state, in recent years because the prosecution and judges have lost their minds many states have in acted Self Defense Statues to Clarify what used to be common sense in that Justification is ALWAYS a defense for breaking ANY law. Whether that is a simple as jay walking to escape a falling building or a extreme as taking the life of another person to save your own life. I would hate to live and a world with the rules where so strict that you had to abide by them even at the expense of your or your loved ones life. Meaning you could not run a red light to avoid train, you can not cross the street with out a cross walk(jaywalking) to avoid a falling building or some other hazard, your cited for littering because you stopped a serial killer with your concealed weapon, or you were fined because you broke an arbitrary speed limit because you were trying to get to the hospital during a medical emergency.
Report Post »Sick twisted Freak
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 9:02amI agree with your point. Like everything else in our Gov’t, this works when we have good judges and fails when we get activists with an agenda.
Report Post »snowflake220
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:31amDoes anyone remember the Highway Patrol who pulled over an elderly man for speeding and the elderly man BEGGED to please let him go as his wife was having a heart attack? The patrolman then gave a LONG speech to the old man and then finally let him go. But warned him to NOT speed. Well of course the woman was dead by the time he got her to the hospital.
A few other dumb cops which results in the death of an innocent person.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkfvV9m8n8M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEgKNBZsQgc&feature=related
Report Post »ReggieRay
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:14amhttp://www.yellowhammerclassic.com
Cops are human too- don’t nail him to the cross for issuing the citation. I‘m sure at some point he’ll (the cop) understand what he did was a waste of time and resources.
I’m sure the judge will let them off…. I‘m sure they’ll still have to pay court costs.
Report Post »Thighmaster
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:29amI think I have the solution, tell the cop you’re here in this country illegally and you have been arrested and convicted many times and the next time Eric Holder is going to personally go after the sob who tries to restrict your movements and violate your undocumented rights. Tell them your vehicle is an undocumented emergency vehicle. Tell them you’re an undocumented foreign diplomat…. I could go on and on butt I won’t..
Report Post »chasbronson
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:23amDuh ,don’t police speed in an emergency?The same mentality that cops think that they are better than anyone else.The cops can run a traffic violator 110 mph through busy intersections and through towns and such and cause multiple accidents along the way and thats alright,but a citizen can’t rush their wife and[ son to be] to the hospital? Was he reckless driving?Blowing through intersection at 90 -100mph? or was he at a high rate of speed on straight open road?Typical attitude that gets good officers killed.The overbearing laws are pis-sing good people off.When good people lose respect for law officials because of their tyranny it further erodes and gives justification in the criminal mind to justify eliminating society of these ‘tyrants’.Its no wonder officers are getting killed on a regular basis.The shame is it usually ends up a good cop getting hit.I am not advocating for the cop killers by any means so dont anyone jump down my throat.There are people out there who are just plain a s soles and some of those people happen to be cops also.They call there citations and arrests “victims”.They give them their ticket then they go back and wait for their next“ victim”.I have heard it out of their own mouths.
Report Post »threedoor
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:23amTypical cop, hes probably a little guy who got picked on as a kid and now has a chip on his shoulder like 99% of them seem to.
Report Post »viper316
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:23amWhile being a fellow “brother in blue”, I think the trooper should have let them go without a ticket. Granted the new father could have gone a little slower to the hospital to avoid any kind of accident (blown tire, hitting another vehicle, etc.), but he did what he thought was the right thing for his wife and son. I’ve stopped people for speeding, found out someone in the car was in labor and escorted the vehicle to the hospital and did not write a ticket. There are laws and rules we must enforce and follow, but you have to have a little bit of common sense and compassion in this job, as well.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:40amYou have some compassiona nd understanding. We need more cops like that! Good for you. Let’s face it, the DAD was ovbivously in panic mode. No one knows how they will react in an emergency situation. Having the police “escort” them was a wise decision. Give the guy a break. Murderers get more breaks than the average law abiding citizen like this, as you well know!
Report Post »Richio
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:19amWhile I don’t think this (link) is actually 196mph, you might enjoy this.
Report Post »http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUCkN5VgRIw&feature=player_embedded
Pat Alexander
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:17am102 MPH ??? On the phone ???
This guy is an idiot. He could have killed everyone in his car and innocent people besides.
Next time, call an ambulance…..
Report Post »LLATPOH
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:11amI’ve heard this kind of thing happening before. Kind of surprised that this is such a shocker.
Regardless of the situation, he was still going over 100 mph. The guy was completely justified in speeding, in my opinion. But, it’s still a safety issue. What would have happened had he lost control of the vehicle?
If he just writes-in a “not guilty” plea, the DA will probably reduce it to practically nothing.
Report Post »Insipid
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:26amYou cant plead not guilty and admit to the infraction. It would be best to plead guilty to speeding upon sentencing explain the circumstances, and leave it to teh judge to decide the sentence or lack thereof. I have mixed feelign on the officer giving the gentleman. the ticket as 102 mph is a bit excessive. Typically ambulances do 30 mph over the limit max as a saftey issue. My bet is any resonable judge will give a serious reduction on the speed hence lowering the fine and points.
Report Post »LLATPOH
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:36amI agree with your bet. I’ve seen it happen differently though. Where I live, if you submit “not guilty” the DA will usually meet with you before the hearing and reduce the fine/point loss, just so that they can move along with bigger cases.
Nice 2112 reference in your picture. :)
Report Post »benrush
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:10amThe judge should dismiss it.
They represent us, not the other way around.
No one was hurt in this incident, and the collectivists still want to micromanage us.
Report Post »bigcop2150
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:34amAdd your comments
Report Post »bigcop2150
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:39amSo if I break into your house but nobody gets hurt its ok? The man was doing 102 MPH while on the phone with his pregnant wife in the car. Not only did he put his wife and unborn childs life in danger he also put anyone else out on the roads life in danger. I know that in Cleveland at 4 in the afternoon on a Friday rush hour traffic is starting. though I wouldnt have written him a ticket he operated his vehicle in a reckless manner.
Report Post »Lantern
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:09amMust have been a newbie. If not, it’s time to take a class in common sense behavior with the public.
Report Post »MarkInSavannah
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:36pmNo…….the father should have taken that particular class. If there was such urgency to get the mother and child to the hospital, he should have called for a damned ambulance. I’m not so much concerned about the speed, but the obvious medical distress that even he admits his wife was experiencing. His ‘bat-out-of-hell’ driving would not have allowed him to assist his wife should anything have happened while en-route. Been a police officer for over 15 years and I must admit, I’d have been pretty tempted to make him write too.
Report Post »RavenGlenn
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 5:18pmHe should have called for an ambulance? Did you read the story? He got her there with SIX(6) minutes to spare. You think that he could have called 911, talked to someone, given an address, etc…then had an ambulance dispatched, come to his place, get the child, drive to the hospital and have them there in enough time? There is no way in hell. Especially since an ambulance wouldn’t travel that quickly either.
Report Post »Sandy
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:00amIt is a matter of $$ for the fine. Anyone know these people’s address to donate to help pay for ticket?
Report Post »bigbud
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:28amYea! And the insurance afterward. Oh yea , and a good lawyer to go to Court
Report Post »Tipdog
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:55amIt’s all about the Benjamins.
Report Post »mimitweetin
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:54amDo you know how many times I have seen a Police Office Speeding with no lights on? In addition, I have seen many flip thier lights on to get through a red light and then turn them off when they were clear of the intersection. As usual, the Cops are above the law and we are all just stupid little peons!
Report Post »BlueknightUSA
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:07pm…and I suppose you followed them to the nearest Dunkin Donuts right?….you have no idea what the officer was doing, do you? Were you in the car with him/her? Could you hear their radio? Could their have been a call he/she was responding to?
Folks should at least think prior to opening their mouth…or typing on a keyboard
pkudude99
Posted on January 6, 2011 at 8:36amI was recently on a business trip to CA. While there I had to get some equipment from a local Best Buy. I parked and as I was walking in, a cop parked in the fire lane and hurried inside. I figured he must have been summoned to deal with a shoplifter or something, so I didn’t think too much of it at first…. until I was him shopping and ended up in line behind him at the checkout.
My ex-wife is a deputy sheriff and speeds all the time, yet she simply flashes her police ID to whoever pulled her over and hasn’t had a speeding ticket since becoming a cop.
I’ve seen many other traffic violations by cops in their marked cars over the years as well. I‘ve also been pulled over by a cop out of his jurisdiction claiming I’d run 3 stops signs, when I hadn’t. He made sure to cover his ass with where he parked behind me so I couldn’t see he was out of jurisdiction until after he sped past me on the freeway on-ramp, and he just “verbally warned me” not to run stop sign again “or else he’d arrest me” so I didn’t have any record of my interaction with him to report him. Figure that one was simply a bully who liked using his badge to try to intimidate people.
Still and all, while I know several cops personally who’d never abuse their position like that, the rate of “bad apples” in the profession seems awfully high to me.
Report Post »thegodfather
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:54amWhat an *******. Wife and child in physical danger, and he drops a ticket on them, along with a smart ass comment.
Report Post »Thighmaster
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:16amWhy didn’t he call 911 immediately so an ambulance could intercept them? Even if the ambulance didn’t make it in time he would have tried.
Report Post »Thighmaster
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:53am102 mph while dialing a phone and carrying on a conversation?
Report Post »louzyana
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:00amYes, 102 mph seems extreme. While I understand how he was trying to protect his wife and unborn child, he put at risk the lives of countless other wifes and children.
Report Post »CameronIL
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:51amThe driving conditions is what determines how fast you can go. If it was early morning, no trafffic, on an Interstate Highway, dry roads, the driver knows his limitations. On the other hand, if he was weaving in and out of traffic, and endangering others is another. I bet that if that NH State Trooper had an Emergency like this, he wouldn’t get a ticket. If it was up to Ray LaHood, our truly misguided Secretary of Transportation, cell phones would be jammed in all vehicles so no one could ever make a call but I’m sure that the Congress and their assistants and those chosen few would have exemptions.
Report Post »SlimnRanger
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:53amHumm mixed emotions on this clearly the new daddy was in the wrong driving at 102 miles per hour if he had of crashed he,his wife and unborn son would have been killed,or maybe killed other innocent people as well,sad to agree with the Highway Patrol but by the law giving the daddy a ticket was the right thing to do,but maybe the judge will have some compassion and give him a little break
Report Post »chips1
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:56pmI have several thoughts about many of the comments. First; the police here in the smaller towns indeed write tickets to generate money for their towns and all the locals know the 4 places radar is used. It’s embarassing to see how little they know about traffic movements, weather conditions, driver impairment and vehicle condition. But- 102 mph is a good ticket. The officer escorted them to the hospital and assured the safety of the general public and after all was in order, he issued the citation. Outstanding job as well as professional. Also, babies are born thousands of times each day. This wasn’t a sudden emergency. It had been building for 9 months. Seems as though the father wasn’t prepared for fatherhood. Killing another driver or family at 102 mph just didn’t enter his mind.
Report Post »Thank you Officer. You did your job well.
If the police removed their officers from traffic enforcement for only 1 week, car parts and bodies would shut this country down. Radar was the worst law enforcement tool ever invented. The machine tells the police what to do and judgement is no longer a requirement.
taskmaster78
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:51amThey’re broke, what else can they do to meet a quota? OMG
Report Post »betterthantv
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:14amYou got it!
Report Post »BoilitDown
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:12pm@taskmaster78
Report Post »You’re the one who gets it. Citizens and police both have complained across the nation about the police departments being used foremost as revenue makers rather than protecting and serving. Some of the police who have spoken out about this realize that the relationships with their communities suffer due to demands on them to “make quotas”, which drive them to unfair and to many arrests.
Warphead
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:51amTen, fifteen mph over I can see. No real danger there. But 102 mph. He put his wife, baby and his life in far more danger than her giving birth in the vehicle. What an idiot. I wonder what he’d be thinking right now if he had killed his family and some other people while doing 102 mph. What an idiot. Needs to stop watching so much TV.
Report Post »taskmaster78
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:04amRemember I’m the best judge of what my limits are, rules and regulations are in place to protect you from your self. I’ve done something close to this, my vehicle was in great shape, tires new mechanically my vehicle was safe. The road conditions were excellent and neither myself nor anyone else got hurt.
Report Post »Keep in mind, the autobahn speed limit far exceeds this 102mph, yet the safety on the highway far exceeds our 55 to 75 mph we travel at. My point is I still remain a better judge of what is safe then some bureaucrat.
betterthantv
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:14amThank you TaskMaster. I was once stopped in Florida for doing almost 100 in a speed trap on the way to Panama City. When the trooper came to the window I expected to be arrested ( here in GA they actually take you to jail for doing 25 over) he laughed at me and said “no son, here in FL were smart enough to know speeders aren’t criminals” Like you said each individual knows his own limits. In my case I drive for a living. I know how to drive at high speeds as I have taken classes for it. Speed limits are there as a means for revenue. That is it!
Report Post »the_ancient
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 11:24am@ TASKMASTER
I always felt we should adobt something like the Autobahn Lic or like the commercial driving lic. You have your basic Operators good for Surface Streets and then a Endorsement or Advanced Lic for Limited Access Highways to allow for Safer and Faster Travel. ( I also think there should be Bad Weather, passenger, etc Endorsements.) This way people get real training in driving but this would force the government to admit that the Lic’ing and Citation system has nothing to do with Safety and everything to do with Revenue, you know what would happen to local revenue, services and court systems if we had actual training, and real safely laws instead of revenue laws?? That would be a loss of trillions of dollars for local government.
Report Post »Dweeby_EE
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 7:22pmSure Task… I agree that you are the best judge for things safe UNDER YOUR CONTROL. But do you have any control over the lugnut pulling out in front of you? No. Do you have control of the little grey squirrel wanting that acorn across the street? Huh-uh… Nope. How about the guy driving in front of you that didn’t see you about to blow his doors off, when he swerves to miss the cute little squirrel? Uh… that’d be –No again.
So… In review… Is 105 for you when everyone else is 45, 55, and 65 a safe speed? Ever?
Nope.
Report Post »betterthantv
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:50amWhat a douchebag. And cops wonder why so many resent them?
Report Post »Harvickfan29
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:03amTell me about it 4 days before Christmas I was ticketed for going 5 over the speed limit. I was furious. I am absolutely sick of the Cops greater than thou attitude they have now days.
Report Post »betterthantv
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:10amThey really ramped up patrols here in Atlanta. It was almost like they were on a mission to destroy everybody’s holiday. I come from a family full of Law Enforcement but have mixed feelings. My dad was a cop for 25 years just outside of Detroit. He retired 15 years ago and was all to happy about it. He is still in shock at how absurd law enforcement has become.
Report Post »Thighmaster
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:19amand I should be allowed to exceed your 5 mph over the suggested speed limit by my own 5 mph…
Report Post »MrObvious
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:45amThe guy did is job. If you don’t like it. Change the law that required he write the speeding ticket.
Better yet, remove all the really dumb laws and watch how much freer life gets.
At the federal level, toss: SOx, ObamaCare, Finance Reform, CRA, War on Drugs, 16th Amendment, and a gazillion smaller ones with the same tenner.
At the State level, toss: anything with “horseless carriage”, “witches”, ‘adultery”, “drugs”, or “hate speech” in it. Reform speeding laws to allow better for urgent conditions – perhaps incurring a small support fee, instead of a fine or any kind of criminal charge.
Reform gazillions of other fed, state, and local laws, based on how they impact the constitutionally protected freedoms of citizens.
The police are just there to serve (the law) and protect (us).
Report Post »Sometimes those two concepts are in conflict. Only fixing the law can correct that.
Dirty Harry
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:50amYet another example oif a cop with zero common sense. He should be serving Big Macs and McDonalds…and he’d probably find a way to screw that up.
Report Post »manymoons768
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:49amThis world is geting really crazy!!!!!!!!!
Report Post »MrObvious
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:34amNope
Report Post »So
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:47amStupidity at it’s finest.
Report Post »MrObvious
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:33amMake some sense when you think about it.
Report Post »Help the guy save his family; then, after it’s over, write him a speeding ticket; as, he was speeding.
If the ticket where for reckless driving or endangerment, it would be wrong; but, speeding is accurate.
Not sure why court though. Normally speeding tickets don’t require a court date.
Maybe it was the 102 mph.
Perhaps if he had called 911 before blowing past the officer, they would not have ticketed him.
mrlogan3
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 11:55amThe couple won’t have to pay, this one’s getting thrown right out!
Report Post »Joe Camel
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:44amProtect and serve…guess this could go either way.
Report Post »Docrow
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:22amProtect? not really…… Serve? not hardly……
unless that means protect (the union) serve (the union)
Report Post »the_ancient
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 11:17amActually many many Police Dept’s have removed that slogan from the cars, as they neither, from an official and legal standpoint, protect or serve the public, They Enforce and Fine which is the proper and legal motto but looks very very bad on a cruiser so they just put “POLICE” on there
Report Post »AMERICAN BEAR
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:16pmDoCrow…..GROW UP! Unions are a known shake down of our country. However, The Trooper did his job in this case.
If you think different, drop us a line when a high speed driver kills your family or friends. Then tell us all about your obsession with unions.
Report Post »Docrow
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:48pmSo your obsessed with my one post you called obsessing and I’m the one who needs to grow up? And you are untitled to an opinion, just like me.
Report Post »BlueknightUSA
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:57pmWhat is it with you people and the union referrences? This was a matter of safey first. The husband driving at 102 MPH put his family and every other person on the road in danger. I have been working the road for nearly 30 years now and can testify that you do not save an appreicable amount of time by speeding and placing others at risk. Also using the phone along with the other obvious distraction within the vehicle only increases the danger.
Report Post »You people who keep kocking my fellow officers…when you have walked in their shoes, seen what they have seen and put up with the crap they have had to deal with…you will have earned the right to legitimately criticize them. Are we all good? Of course not…as the saying goes, “bad apples in every barrel”. When a bad one is found he/she should be tossed…but don’t paint the whole profession with your broad brush please.
101
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:59pm.
Report Post »Big deal a speeding ticket, the judge will be the hero and throw it out…(add commercial here)
the_ancient
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:08pm@BLUEKNIGHTUSA
The Blue Line or Blue Silence or Blue Wall or what ever you call it stop that, Hell we just had a Cop, Driving Drunk Run over a Group of Bikers Seriously Injuring a few of them and killing 1, His Punishment 2 days paid leave……..
Report Post »VermontPatriot
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 7:18pmWe just had a cop get arrested for breaking into his neighbors place and stealing a 42″ tv that was wrapped as a gift under the Christmas tree. He then was seen throwing said tv off his back porch into the river as the cops were investigating, lol. He was s#@tfaced drunk.
Barre’s finest!
Report Post »ZeitgeistBuster
Posted on January 7, 2011 at 8:00am@BLUEKNIGHT,
Try to tell me that cops Don’t abuse their authority and drive over 100mph for Non-emergency personal buisness! Go ahead. I have family in law enforcement. And I’ve been in the vehicle as a passenger when it has happened.
And as for the rest of you biting your nails about endangering public safety, I can’t believe what a bunch of girls you guys are sometimes!
Everyone is acting like the guy was in one of those little three cylinder coffins on wheels like a yugo. What if he was in a full sized pickup with new tires and a tight suspension? 100 would feel and handle like 60.
Glad to see how many of you can Astral-project yourselves into his situation and confidently condemn him for wrongdoing. But since you were not there, can you just be thankful that he made it and that the baby got the care it OBVIOUSLY critically needed and lived?
BTW, when cars first came out it was SCARY to drive over 35mph!
Report Post »Oil_Robb
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:37amNo one ever accused a Union member of having common sence
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:43amSoon you will be arrested in this country if you didn’t obtain a government permit to have the baby.
Report Post »Cobra Blue
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:54amThe cop needs to get real. Why is it that people continue to check their brains at the door. Let’s all take a good does of common sense shall we.
Report Post »Reagan/DeMint.disciple
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:05amWhat, he didn’t have his camcorder filming while on the phone while driving 102 ?? Guess he didn’t really think much about his first born….:~)
GeauxAlready
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:16amStupid Union Member what did you expect??????????????????
Report Post »APatriotFirst
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:17amGood for the cop.
What would this guy have done at 102 mph if he blew a front tire?
Or someone else pulled over in front of him?
He put his family at risk of being killed.
Sledgehammer
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:17amOil, I disagree, I spent many years working EMS (BLS) where the motto was rap & rocket, he could have encountered any one of a dozen “bad” things, enroute to the hospital, (glad he didn’t). Yes a major threat to those on the road with him but more likely, a threat to his wife and unborn child! It’s more important to get to the hospital with every one intact.
Report Post »rbqueen
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:46amThere are a lot of unknowns in this situation, like what kind of traffic was there and what kind of area was it in? (like in downtown or what) It can be very dangerous to drive that fast in a town but if it was out of town then it wouldn’t bother me to drive that fast (and faster) to get my wife to the hospital to have a baby. It has been dumped on us so long that driving fast is too dangerous for anyone to drive but that is not the case at all. If driving fast was that dangerous then there would be no one willing to drive Nascar or any of the other races like that because the speeds that they drive at would cause everyone in that race to die. The problem is, was this guy capable of driving at that speed and be able to control it. Apparently he is either that capable or he was extremely lucky. Another thing to look at regarding the speed is that a lot of people don’t realize that sometimes driving at higher speeds can be safer than driving at slower speeds. Way back when the government set the 55mph speed limit nationwide, in some areas, the accident rate increased. One place that exemplifies that was Nevada, where it had no speed limit and then was forced to go to the 55mph limit. While the automobile death rate dropped slightly the actual number of accidents increased. This is because with some people driving faster forces them to be more attentive and when they slowed down they would tend to get “bored” at those speeds and didn’t pay as much attention. I know that I can drive safer at 80 – 90mph than I can at 55mph because of this reason. I constantly have to remind myself to pay more attention when I drive slower. Speeds driven safely is actually relative to the skills of each person. I’ve seen people driving that it would not bother me to ride with them at 100+ speeds yet there are some that I would not ride with them going 40 – 50mph because they do not drive safe at any speed.
Report Post »Bullcop34
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 9:52am102 mph with a wife in labor and you folks think that is not a distraction? Are you using your brain? If the dude had enough forsight to call 911 to report that he wasn’t speeding to get away from the troper why oh why did he not have enough foresight to call 911 if the baby was in danger? Does he really think that driving 102 mph is going to save his baby versus letting the ambulance, with all of it’s live saving gear get there and help out? Congratulations on the baby, see you in court is what I would have said too, and that is a working opinion of over 14 years on the streets. And that has nothing to do with unions either. Not one penny of the money for a ticket goes to any union. It goes mainly to the courts then a small portion goes back to the police departments budget. Unions are not involved in that so get those facts right.
mtnclimberjim
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:00amUnion goonery at it’s finest. Just like the teachers union and their zero tolerance policies, blanket policies instead of having to look at the individual case would mean having to think independent. Can’t have that with communistic union mentality. God I hate unions. Wheeeew
Report Post »snowleopard3200 {cat folk art}
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:06amI hope the judge throws this ticket out the window.
Common sense is needed more and more today.
Report Post »ishka4me
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:16amwith the states’ budget situation, no braks. revenue first.
Report Post »ishka4me
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:22amLiving in the North east, it is common thought that the New hampshire State Police have no common sense. they hide at the borders and will pull you over for doing 68 in a 65 zone or at speed traps where the road for no reason drops from 65 to 55 at the down hill. This is nothing new for New Hampshire
Report Post »CYCLONE
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:26amWhat a DICK !!!…pppfffttttt…..
Report Post »Rogue
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:42amMy question is, how fast is acceptable? Sure, it’s understandable that the father was speeding, but what if he was going 140? Is that too much? There are a lot of factors to consider – you can’t bash a cop for making a judgement call, when he was probably following some sort of (unwritten) protocol. Maybe they allow for 40 mph over the speed limit in an emergency, and are instructed to cite anyone above that limit – but there has got to be limits, for the sake of public saftey.
Report Post »the_ancient
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:57am@BullCop
When Seconds count, 911 is minutes away.
If possible in my area it is ALWAYS better to provide your own transport to the ER, not only have the FireDept Unions increased the rate to Emergency Transport at such a ridiculous amount ( a friend of mine owes over $2,000 for non-emergency transport from 1 hospital to another for surgery) the response time to my area is often over 10 mins. I can drive my self in 15
Report Post »the_ancient
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 10:59am@ROGUE, if you think Traffic Tickets have anything to do with Safety then I have a bridge to sell you. It is about Local Government Revenue, Plain and Simple. Traffic Tickets have not been about Safety since the advent of the Radar Gun
Report Post »AMERICAN BEAR
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:04pmI agree whole- heartedly, Lets start the conversation with common sense….Which doesn’t start with careening down the interstate at more than 100 miles per hour.
Anything can happen at that speed; Any mechanical malfunction or miscalculation becomes deadly for the driver, his family, and I dare say, the real innocent’s…..people in other vehicles.
I say good for the State Trooper. He did his sworn duty,escorting the family to safety while protecting the rest of us, Then he ticketed the offender for trveling at a dangerously high speed.
Report Post »Did anybody notice he took the time to use his phone during his incredibly bad choice?!
I guess his phone only dials 911 at high speeds. I would wager a decent bet this guy regularly drives at high speeds and as dangerously as he did on this occasion.
God bless his new family and the Trooper who protected them, and the rest of us!
untameable-kate
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:18pmI if I were his wife and he was lollygagging along at 65 mph I would make darned sure he was in at least as much pain as I was. You guys on the side of the cop actually telling me that with your wife in shreiking agony you would be more concerned with the posted speed limit? Maybe you haven’t seen a woman have a baby sans epidural.
Report Post »blacksmith
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 12:28pmThis is not a union issue but an isue of government control. There were as reported by Mark Levin 31,000 new laws put into effect across the country on 2010. A majority of these laws were passed to protect us from ourselves. There is a problem when a simple document like the Constitution is turned into a morass of laws that chisel away at the freedoms that we are guaranteed in the original document. I live in rural Ohio and in my township I must notify the township if I am going to have a fire in my backyard. They have an inspector that comes out and determines if it is bigger than allowed and it will be burned between the allowed hours. Please government protect me from myself !! We decry the nanny state then beg for more regulations and laws to keep us safe. When you give up liberty for safety you will have nor deserve either!
Report Post »Polwatcher
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:13pmWho’s safety would have been served if that baby had been born in the car while the Dad was driving to the hospital. This HP officer cannot explain his actions to any reasonable person.
Report Post »NeoFan
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 1:25pmWould he have gotten a ticket if he was a cop?
Report Post »wilted6orchid
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 2:00pm“Kyle’s precipitous birth left him black and blue.” This baby was coming CRAZY fast! This is not the typical 8-15 hr labor. It is usually faster to drive yourself to the hospital than it is to call 911…wait for them to pick up, (Yes, I have been put on hold waiting for a 911 operator before.) and then wait for them to arrive to get you going to the hospital. There was a time when we had this thing called common sense that said “It’s an emergency. So there is sometimes exceptions to rules.” At any rate. The father did the right thing getting his wife and child to the hospital as fast as he deemed safe to do so!
Report Post »*************************
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 3:14pmNázi cops say, “I vas chust followink oooorders.”
boss TAGGART: “I’ve got it!”
Report Post »HEDLEY LAMARR: “What? What?”
boss TAGGART: “I know how we can run everybody out of Rock Ridge. We’ll kill the first-born male child in every household!”
HEDLEY LAMARR [considers, then dismisses]: “Too Jéwish.”
-Blazing Saddles
Dweeby_EE
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 7:10pmHey Snow…
————————————-
“I hope the judge throws this ticket out the window.
Common sense is needed more and more today.
————————————-
Now, FAR be it from ME to defend unions. I’ll drive 100 miles to cross a picket line. The UAW is the reason I have to pay $20k for a run-of-the-mill-no-frills-plain-jane-average-basic-B-flat car. I hate unions. Not the people who comprise them, just the unions themselves. They are just the exercises in protection and perpetuating mediocrity.
But when you talk of “common sense…” Don’t you think that a 105 mph rate of speed is MORE dangerous than the 30 seconds of time saved getting to the front door? I mean… Seriously…. You hit a squirrel @ 105, and they’ll be surgically removing the tail pipe from your a$$.
Report Post »ChiefGeorge
Posted on January 5, 2011 at 8:06pmEnd of Liberty! Watch it at NIA.
Report Post »ZeitgeistBuster
Posted on January 7, 2011 at 8:55amTO ALL of you GIRLS on here biting your nails about public safety, I demand that you man up and answer one thing for me:
Put yourself in HIS SHOES, and handle HIS emergency YOUR WAY. How would you feel if you only exceeded the speed limit by 10mph and got your wife safely to the hospital but the baby died.
What comfort would you feel if someone came up to you and said, “I’m sorry that You lost the baby, but look on the bright side, you didn’t put the public in danger.”
All of you nail biters are spitting in the wind here. You DONT KNOW if he had a hands free voice activated phone. STRIKE ONE.
You DONT KNOW if his car was a itty bitty tin can coffin on wheels that would wrap around a stray squirrel’s neck or a full sized SUV with new tires and tight suspension that would handle 100mph like it was 60mph. STRIKE TWO
None of us knows how much of his trip was at 102mph and what the road/traffic conditions were when he did go 102mph. Are you assuming that it was 102 all the way to the emergency room doors? STRIKE THREE is for assuming you know enough to judge this guy as a wrongdoer.
The police have discretion in exerecising their authority. Tell me how he is serving and protecting the public good by giving the guy a ticket. It isn’t like the guy was a teenager on a joy ride who needed the service of law enforcement to make him mindful of others, not just his own fun.
And it isn’t like this guy is driving under the impariment of alcohol either. This is a one time deal under extenuating circumstances. There is NO NEED for an arrogant repromand here.
If I was this cop, I would have congratulated him and predicted that if his son ends up in NASCAR, the dad would have a story to tell about how his career got started.
One more thing for you nail-biters. I have family in law enforcement. NO ONE HERE is gonna tell me that cops don’t take priviliges with the speed limit and go over 100mph for NON-emergency personal buisness. I have been a passenger in the vehicle when this has happened. So let’s just cool it and give this dad a break with our judgmentalism.
Some of here are wound up 3 or 4 turns too tigh! A sense of humor and some common sense goes a long way to toward being understanding and bearing one another’s burdens.
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