Doula helps mom deliver baby girl on roadside in heavy Golden Gate Park traffic

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A baby girl was born Saturday afternoon on the side of the road in Golden Gate Park after her parents became stuck in heavy traffic while heading to the hospital.

According to the San Francisco Standard, a media partner of ABC7 Eyewitness News, parents Nate and Karollyn were driving to the hospital when traffic came to a standstill on Crossover Drive near Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. With contractions coming quickly, they pulled over and called 911 shortly after 4:30 p.m.

Their daughter, Cielle, was born before they could reach the hospital.

The traffic congestion also complicated the emergency response. Paramedics with American Medical Response were forced to leave their ambulance several blocks away and run to the family, because traffic conditions prevented them from getting closer.

In a stroke of luck, a doula was caught in the same traffic jam and helped coach Karollyn through the delivery before paramedics arrived.

Traffic was unusually heavy because Caltrans had closed all northbound lanes of Highway 101 through Hospital Curve for a weekend resurfacing project. The closure diverted drivers onto 19th Avenue, Park Presidio Boulevard and nearby city streets.

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The congestion worsened later in the evening when a three-vehicle crash at Park Presidio Boulevard and California Street shortly before 7 p.m. sent six people to the hospital, creating another backup along an already crowded corridor.

The Standard reported that Nate and Karollyn asked that only their first names be used to protect their family's privacy.

The outlet also reported that both Cielle and her mother are doing well.