Baby born after ambulance carrying mum crashed

When Levin Anto received a call at work that his wife had gone into labour, he rushed home and they called an ambulance.

Cheryl Kurian was 32 weeks pregnant when the ambulance turned up to take her from their home in Kington, Hereford, to Hereford County Hospital.

But on the way, the ambulance crashed with a car and Kurian said: "It scared me a lot... I could feel the jerk."

"They put on the sirens… that's when the crash happened, it was really shocking, I was shaken up.

"There were three crew members in the back of the ambulance with me, my husband and the driver were in the front... we were expecting the baby at any time so they were all ready to catch [him]."

The pair said the driver handled the situation well and Kurian was supported by the trio with her in the back.

"I had to be transferred to another ambulance," she said.

"I was still in labour, I'm like: 'What's happening, how am I going to deliver my baby?'"

They arrived at the hospital safely at about 08:15 GMT on 25 January and, by 09:00, their son Ervin was born.

"He came in a very dramatic way, I cannot forget it," Kurian laughed.

"He's still in the neonatal care unit, he's being taken care of very well by the staff, so we are juggling the life right now with our eight year-old son and him, giving both of them equal time which is a bit stressful at the moment.

"He needs to grow a bit."

Elaine Evans, special care baby unit ward manager at the Wye Valley NHS Trust said: "After a difficult journey to the hospital, our maternity staff helped put them at ease and prepared them for the safe arrival of their baby, Erwin.

"Erwin was born prematurely and is therefore receiving additional care on our special care baby unit from our dedicated team of neonatal healthcare professionals."

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