Parents Frantic After Accidentally Leaving Newborn Baby in Taxi on Way Home from Hospital
Have you ever made a split-second decision and experienced instant regret? There’s no sensation quite like it.
Your stomach lurches, your pulse spikes and a wave of dizziness sweeps through you. It must’ve been the exact feeling that a couple in Hamburg, Germany, felt when they made an incredible mistake.
According to the Daily Mail, an unnamed Deutschland family recently experienced a happy event: They welcomed a new baby into the world.
That’s always a time filled with happy chaos. But events got so tumultuous while trying to get the new addition home that the family almost lost the baby.
The story sounds outrageous on its face, so understand that context matters here.
The Associated Press reported that the mother and father had a 1-year-old with them in addition to their newborn.
What’s more, they didn’t have a car and couldn’t rely on family or friends to take them home. So they took a taxi instead.
Things went swimmingly until the cab pulled up to their home.
As they got out of the taxi, the mother took charge of the 1-year-old and the father paid the cabbie.
They cheerfully walked toward their residence as the cab pulled away. The problem? The baby was still in the backseat, completely asleep.
The Hamburg police described what transpired: “The now four-person family climbed into a taxi in front of the hospital and traveled towards their home. After arriving they climbed out, paid and said goodbye to the taxi driver.
“The taxi had barely pulled away when the parents’ hearts must have stopped out of fright, because the newborn was still in the taxi.”
The parents sprinted after the vehicle. However, the efficient driver had already pulled away, his mind on something else entirely: lunch.
The police continued, “You’re only standing on the street for a few seconds before the taxi’s gone and you make eye contact with your partner. … Their attempt to run after the taxi was not successful, at which point the parents alerted us immediately.”
In fact, it was some time before the cabbie realized he had a stowaway. As the baby snoozed in the back, the driver left the cab parked in an underground lot while he went for a meal.
When he came back, he drove to the airport to pick up a new fare. Upon entering the cab, the traveler noticed the baby.
“By now, the baby had also clearly woken up, because it made itself noticed and began to cry,” police said.
“After the taxi driver also notified us, we were able to reunite the family after a short examination of the child by an ambulance crew.”
The baby is now safely at home. Next time mom and dad take a taxi, I bet they’ll check the backseat!
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