No time for taxi, baby arrives on Tahoe street corner

As members of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department were responding to the usual calls for service on Cinco de Mayo, the Corado family was enjoying a quiet night at home. Their two worlds were about to collide in a chaotic, but positive way.

Maria Ortiz-Corado, nine months pregnant, was 10 days from her due date when she went into labor. This was not her first child so she did not panic. Her husband, Jonatan Corado, called a taxi to take them to Barton Memorial Hospital. The couple waited at the bus stop at the corner of Pioneer Trail and Aspenwald for the cab to arrive. The baby, however, did not wait.

South Tahoe's newest resident gets a police escort to hospital. Photo/Provided

At about 12:28am Thursday, police dispatchers Jill Broadfoot and Linda Clark received a frantic phone call reporting a baby was being born at the bus stop. The dispatchers began coaching the caller through the birthing process, while simultaneously dispatching fire department medics and police officers to the scene. Officers Chris Webber, Angie Kallstrom, and Sgt. Brad Williams all responded. The Corados’ son, David, was born just as Webber arrived.

Kallstrom and Williams helped provide comfort to the new family until medics arrived to transport the family to the hospital via ambulance. Mother and son were a bit cold, but otherwise healthy.