A Lyles woman’s trip to the hospital took a detour when she delivered her new baby on the side of Interstate 40 with the help of Dickson Police Department Officer Dyllon Larson.
Officer Larson responded to a call at 6:04 am Thursday, Sept. 19, in reference to a woman in active labor near the 176-mile marker on I-40. He was told the woman was alone in the car and her water had broken approximately 20 minutes earlier.
“I arrived on the scene at (6:09) and ran to the passenger side of the car and could tell the driver was having a contraction,” Officer Larson reports. “Shortly after she had another, they were only a minute apart or less. I held her hand and reassured her that everything was going to be alright, that medical help is almost here.”
But after just a few minutes, the mother reported the baby was coming.
“I ran to the driver’s side of the car and lifted her dress to see the baby was beginning to crown,” Officer Larson said. “Only a few short moments after that the baby was born. I immediately cleared anything I could from his mouth and stimulated his back until he was inhaling and exhaling, then gave him to mom.”
A few minutes later Dickson County Emergency Medical Services arrived along with other law enforcement officers and mother and baby were transported to St. Thomas Midtown hospital, where she had been headed.
Mom and young Theodore visited the Dickson Police Department Tuesday to thank Officer Larson.
“Officer Larson was very kind and extremely helpful, especially when it was so greatly needed,” said the mother, who asked that her name be withheld. “My family cannot thank him enough for stopping to help us.”
Theodore was healthy at 8 pounds 2 ounces and 21 inches long. He is the sixth child in his family and he and his mom Facetimed with the siblings during their visit so they could meet Officer Larson.
Coincidentally, Theodore was born on the birthday of Officer Larson’s first of his four children and was the second baby delivered by Officer Larson, having previously delivered his fourth child.
Officer Larson joined the Dickson Police Department in October 2022, having worked in the Detention Division of the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. He grew up in Minnesota and earned an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice from the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Academy. He graduated from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy in 2019 and completed a transition school with the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy.
“With everything bad and disheartening that law enforcement officers have to deal with on almost a daily basis, it is moments of being able to make a positive impact in people’s lives that encourage us at the beginning of each shift,” said Dickson Police Department Chief Seth Lyles. “I can’t say enough how proud I am of Officer Larson putting into action the mission to serve and protect.”
Officer Larson is the second Dickson Police Department officer to assist in the delivery of a baby in recent years. Sergeant Sierra Reprogal assisted in a roadside delivery in November 2018 when the mother realized she wasn’t going to make it to the hospital in time.
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