Spencer County dispatcher helps deliver baby

A Spencer County dispatcher is being credited with helping a couple deliver their first child on State Road 161 early Sunday morning.

According to the Spencer County Sheriff’s Office, the 911 Dispatch Center received an urgent call from an expectant father whose wife was in active labor at 4:32 a.m. Dispatcher Lara Hancock, who normally works from 4 p.m. to midnight, happened to be filling in for another dispatcher that night.

“I could hear her, of course, having labor pains in the background,” Hancock explained about the call. “I asked him to pull over, and when the father was able to check the mother, he saw that the baby was coming.”

Moments after they pulled over, at 4:35 a.m., amidst the darkness, the cries of a newborn baby girl filled the air, marking an incredible roadside birth, said the sheriff’s office in a Facebook post.

Hancock began giving them instructions on how to help the baby through her first few moments in the world. While she was helping the couple, Hancock’s fellow dispatcher, Hayley Goldey, was able to dispatch law enforcement and medical teams to the couple’s location.

Spencer County Deputy Luke Fitzwater soon arrived, offering support until emergency medical services arrived to take over.

Hancock noted that the father handled the situation really well. “Mother, father did extremely well,” she said. “Father wasn’t panicked, but he was overwhelmed. He did a great job.”

Hancock explained that though she’s had stressful calls in her two years as a dispatcher, she’s never handled anything like this. However, her own experiences as a mother of three helped her in guiding them through the process.

“This just really reminds me of why I love being a dispatcher,” Hancock said.

Being able to help people, especially through a stressful but ultimately happy outcome, affirms her passion and dedication to being a dispatcher for Spencer County.

She has made plans to visit the couple and their new daughter, who is doing well, in the hospital soon.

“Our community’s strength and our team’s dedication shone brightly in this remarkable moment,” said the Spencer County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook. “Congratulations to the family, and huge applause to our dispatchers, deputies, and medical responders for their outstanding work.”