Nanjing law enforcement were out playing their role as good samaritans earlier this week, providing a dramatic, high-speed, motorcycle-police escort to a pregnant woman whose waters broke in a car while stuck in a downtown traffic jam.
“Where are you going?”, the traffic policeman said, when called over by a distressed woman sitting in a car. “To the Woman and Children’s Hospital”, gasped the lady.
The incident took place on 26 January during the morning rush hour on the elevated section of Nanjing’s Longpan Lu. The policeman then simply replied, “Follow me”.
No less than three police motorbikes then provided a high-speed escort for the pregnant woman’s husband, as driver of their car, to follow.
With two bikes in the lead and another bringing up the rear, the motorcade makes quick work of Nanjing’s morning traffic jams, running red lights and frequently driving on the wrong side of the road.
When all was said and done, the police had escorted the pregnant woman from Longpan Lu to the Woman and Children’s Hospital at the intersection of Shigu Lu and Mochou Lu in a record time of just 19 minutes.
As a result of their actions, the woman was quickly out of danger. Family members expressed their gratitude to the police riders via WeChat, reports The Paper.
A video of the motorcade zipping through Nanjing compiled from police body cams and street-mounted surveillance cameras can be seen via this link.
Nanjing emergency services routinely allow members of the public to drive with complete disregard to traffic laws when the situation deems it necessary. Back in 2010, even this correspondent was permitted to drive through every single red light from Pukou District to downtown Nanjing in pursuit of an ambulance carrying a family member experiencing a medical emergency.
It might not be exaggerating to say that this incident and Tuesday’s mercy mission reveal a side to the job of Nanjing’s first responders that they secretly enjoy very much.
