Hero tanker driver helps deliver baby at petrol station

A routine fuel delivery took a dramatic turn when Certas Energy tanker driver Ed Donohue helped deliver a baby at a petrol station forecourt.

Ed, 50, was at Gulf Wivelsfield Service Station in Haywards Heath on Thursday, April 3, when Amy Holmes and her partner Adam Davies arrived in a panic. The couple, from Coldean, Brighton, were en route to Princess Royal Hospital but got stuck in traffic and realised their baby couldn’t wait.

With a queue of cars and Ed mid-delivery, Adam shouted for help. Drawing on medical training from his time as an infantry soldier, Ed jumped in to assist. He guided Adam and kept Amy calm as baby Solomon was born in the front seat of their Citroen Cactus.

Ed, from Maidstone, said: “I was midway through the fuel delivery when I saw a car coming right towards me and heard the couple inside shouting. At first I thought they were having a domestic, but quickly realised they needed help. The driver flung open the passenger door and I could see the birth was imminent!

“The ambulance service were on the phone in the car but there was lots of confusion about getting them to the site, so we just had to crack on with it.”

He added: “I had first aid training years ago when I was in the army, so it all just kicked in. It was definitely the craziest thing I’ve seen on shift – and possibly that I’ve seen in my 50 years! I don’t feel I did anything special – I’m just happy to have helped.”

Adam, 34, said: “It was a total whirlwind – the most chaotic morning we’ve ever had. Ed was brilliant – he was a beacon of calm.”

Baby Solomon arrived at 8:46am weighing 7lb 14oz. Amy, 36, and Solomon are now home and doing well.

Store Manager Andre Salvidge called the moment “heart-warming” and praised everyone’s quick action.