Londonderry man doing 102 mph while wife in labor goes to court today

[kpatz]

Baby on way, pedal to metal, dad's in court today

So, do you think he should lose his license over this?

I don't think so. Make him pay the fine and deal with insurance surcharges, but don't take his license over this one incident (assuming his prior record is clean). His wife was in labor, minutes from giving birth, and he was in a panic.

If he'd had an RD, the outcome of this story could be different. It could have been the save of the century.

[kpatz]

Update: He was found not guilty.

Feel free to discuss. My thoughts? He should have gotten a fine, but not a license suspension, given the circumstances. He was endangering himself and others.

[lugnuts]

meh I think people in this country need to lighten up. with a modern car a 100mph is nothing. at 3am in NH there is nobody on the road and the only danger is hitting a deer. most US speed limits were set back when we had drum brakes, crappy suspension, poor lighting, lap or no seat belts and crappy tires. Cars have come a long way in technology with tires, brakes, suspension and safety has improved greatly yet we still have these archaic speed limits (some of which were higher then 55 before the 70's gas crisis)

glad the judge saw the light and let him go.

[kpatz]

He was driving a Kia. Not exactly a car I would consider safe at 100+ mph. In an Audi or BMW, different story. I do agree that the limits should be higher, like maybe 70-75 for that stretch of 293, since that's what most people drive it anyway. Don't know that I'd condone 100+ though, that's pushing it. What if a deer jumped out in front of them?

I wasn't previously aware that this happened at 3 AM. I was amazed he could even reach that speed, I have trouble breaking 70 most of the time with all the traffic and left-lane hogs.

I am happy that he got off, since I hate speed enforcement for revenue purposes. Plus he would have had his license suspended, which would have been a hardship given he is the sole breadwinner and commutes to MA every day. The LEO escorted him to the hospital, helped his wife when they arrived, she gave birth just minutes later in the ER, then the LEO basically said "Congratulations, here's your speeding ticket".

What really drives me nuts are the people who post saying "he should have pulled over and called an ambulance". Well duh, the baby would have been long since born in the front seat of the car before the ambulance arrived. He only had 6 minutes to spare when he got to the hospital.

[Hunter]

i don't know but i would have done the same darn thing.

[rocky2]

We have become a bunch on Ninny's in the USA, the guy was taking his wife to the hospital. The cops and ambulance drivers can drive however they want when it's a "emergency" don't see why he can't. I am pleasantly surprised the judge used some common sense.

[kpatz]

But where do you draw the line then? Ambulances don't generally drive 100+ even in an emergency. Also, this wasn't one of us enthusiasts who know how to speed safely and properly (i.e. paying attention to the road). He was in a panic, his wife giving birth next to him, he was on a cell phone with 911, with a state trooper behind him, doing 102 and almost wiping out on the 101/293 interchange (which is a fairly sharp curve especially at those speeds).

Some say this sets a dangerous precedent, as now anyone who gets a speeding ticket is going to fight it claiming a medical emergency. Sure, if it's a real emergency I can see reducing the fine or dismissing the ticket if it was life threatening. Seconds can count when someone's having a heart attack or stroke. In this case it was a normal childbirth, there were no complications, and the baby would have been fine even if he was born in the breakdown lane on the highway. If he'd wrecked at that speed it wouldn't have been nearly as happy an ending (and then people would be saying "where's the cop keeping these reckless speeders in check?")

If it were one of us in this situation, you're rushing your wife to the hospital, speeding down the highway, and you start getting a Ka alert on your detector. Do you slow down to avoid the ticket, or do you keep going? It makes for an interesting discussion.

[speeddemon]

Good for him, cop should have given him an escort instead of a ticket

[kpatz]

Good for him, cop should have given him an escort instead of a ticket

He did both. The driver called 911 when the cop was following him. Once dispatch notified the cop of the situation, the cop escorted the driver to the hospital, helped his wife out of the car, and even congratulated him after the baby was born. Only then did he hand over the ticket.

If I were the cop, I would have given him a warning instead, and tell the guy to be more careful next time.

[kpatz]

Fox News has an article too: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/04/05...new-hampshire/

I loved this comment:

When asked if he would speed the next time Coughlin said there won't be a next time as there won't be any more babies after their ordeal.

Smart guy, in hindsight at least. I should meet up with him, buy him a case of beer, and refer him to radarbusters.com and this site.