San Francisco woman gives birth on the road after getting stuck in horrific city traffic

By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-09-21 00:01:53 | Updated at 2026-09-21 01:14:23 1 hour ago

A San Francisco woman gave birth on the side of the road Saturday after getting trapped in horrific traffic.

Karollyn and her partner, Nate, were driving through Golden Gate Park on their way to the hospital when traffic stalled on Crossover Drive near Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.

With Karollyn’s contractions well underway, Nate pulled onto the shoulder and called 911 shortly after 4:30 p.m.

A man holds a newborn baby while standing next to a woman on a stretcher, with emergency responders in the background.

An ambulance was dispatched, but the gridlock was so severe that the crew had to abandon the vehicle a couple of blocks away and run the rest of the way.

Luckily for the couple, a doula happened to be sitting in the same traffic nearby and stepped in to coach Karollyn through the roadside delivery before paramedics arrived, The San Francisco Standard reported.

By the time emergency crews reached them, Karollyn and Nate had welcomed their healthy baby girl, Cielle Ray, per the outlet.

“We were so fortunate to have the support that we did, especially some medical professionals that were sitting in the same traffic,” the family said in a statement shared through ambulance company American Medical Response. “Most notably, a doula that helped coach Karollyn through the process until the paramedics arrived.”

View of the San Francisco cityscape, with residential buildings in the foreground and hills, trees, and the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

Fire Engine 14 arrived shortly afterward, SFFD spokesperson Capt. Jonathan Baxter said.

Traffic through the park was worse than usual that afternoon after Caltrans closed a stretch of Highway 101 for resurfacing, pushing drivers onto 19th Avenue, Park Presidio and surrounding streets.

A multi-car crash on 19th Avenue added to the gridlock near the park’s southern border.

The couple said they had previously joked about the possibility of giving birth in a car but were stunned when it actually happened.

“We took a route that I take every morning to work without issues,” Nate said, according to AMR, “and just so happens that the day with the worst traffic is the last day we needed it.”