Hero cab driver helps passenger deliver her baby in the back seat of his cab

A Toronto taxi driver's cab became a makeshift delivery room. Vernon Warnor had just started his shift when he received a call around 6 a.m., with the city cloaked in a light flurry of snow. He had the address to pick up a woman but no destination. When he saw the mother and daughter with a suitcase, he assumed they were headed to the airport. Upon closer inspection, he realized she was pregnant. She wanted a ride to a birthing center downtown. Warnor had just finished sanitizing his vehicle and started his journey on Highway 401. Suddenly, he heard a plea for help from the back seat. "She said, 'I need help. Driver, help me,'" Warnor recalled in an interview with Global News.

Warner made the decision to exit the highway and take Markham Road to a busy McDonald's parking lot, determining they could get help quicker. He called 911 and was advised to continue to the nearest hospital. However, the woman in the back seat informed him the baby was on the way, and Warnor quickly realized he wouldn't make it to the hospital in time. Warnor brought the cab to a halt and heard the female passenger in the back being given final instructions. “Hold on to the neck and pull down,” Warnor heard. “I looked around like this and the baby was in her hands, It was a boy." he said 

When Warnor heard the sound of a baby's first cry, he quickly grabbed a blanket from his trunk to help the mother swaddle her newborn. Shortly after, Toronto paramedics arrived and took the mom and infant to Centenary Hospital. Kristine Hubbard, operations manager for Beck Taxi said, “Everything went right because he (Vernon) was the person that was meant to be there for her.”

“Vernon knew what to do, he engaged, he paid attention, and he was empathetic and wanted to take care of her, Hubbard stated, proud of the driver's actions, who has been employed for around five years. A hospital spokesperson stated that the mother, whose identity wasn't revealed, was discharged in nine hours after she and her newborn were taken in. Warnor, who afterward responded to some more calls for several hours after the baby's birth in his car, declared that it was the second time he's been present at a birth of a baby. “The lady was quite grateful, happy it turned out to be me as the driver. I think I was the right person for the job.” Warnor said

On Friday, Beck Taxi said on social media that the mother and baby were doing well and that they had plans to thank Warnor for his heroic deeds. Warnor himself said, “My top priority was to make sure the mother and child were safe. I feel like I was at the right place at the right time. If it happened again tomorrow, I would be willing to jump into action just the same.” Vernon Warnor is an example of the power of kindness and the importance of not overlooking opportunities to help others. We are all capable of making a difference in someone's life and this story is proof of that.