(SWANTON, MD) – A mother and her newborn pre-mature infant were safely flown by Maryland State Police Trooper 5 helicopter, based in Cumberland, MD from a remote Garrett County location amidst challenging weather conditions in the mountainous region of the state yesterday morning.
The infant, born approximately 10 weeks early, was delivered on the side of the road near Backbone Mountain by Garrett County Emergency Medical Services shortly after 9:30 a.m. At the time, the child’s mother was enroute to the hospital nearly 40 miles away when she suffered complications and went into labor. An off-duty medical professional from UPMC Western Maryland Regional Medical Center came upon the woman and assisted with the delivery of the infant. Tri-Towns Emergency Medical Services and Bloomington Volunteer Fire Company responded to provide emergency medical care to the mother and infant.
Due to the deteriorating medical condition of the infant, the Maryland State Police (MSP) Duty Officer, stationed in the Operations Control Center (OCC) in Baltimore, MD received a request for assistance from Garrett County volunteers for a MEDEVAC. Maryland State Police Trooper 5 out of Cumberland, MD was dispatched and arrived on scene within 15 minutes.
The infant’s medical condition led to the crew of Trooper 5 to make the decision to fly the infant and mother to J. W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia at approximately 9:45a.m. yesterday morning. As Trooper 5 departed the scene, complicated weather conditions enroute and limited flight visibility led to the crew requesting an instrument clearance from Air Traffic Control. Using the AW139 aircraft’s advanced avionics the crew was able to execute the instrument approach into Morgantown nearly 60 miles away. Trooper 5 was able to successfully transport the mother and infant to the medical facility for further treatment.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command has served Maryland citizens since 1970, and operates a fleet of 10 helicopters from seven bases throughout Maryland on a 24/7/365 basis. Missions include medevac, law enforcement, search & rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment. The success of rescues performed by the Aviation Command depends a great deal on the cooperative efforts of local fire, rescue and EMS law enforcement agencies.
CONTACT: Office of Media Communications, 410-653-4236
The infant, born approximately 10 weeks early, was delivered on the side of the road near Backbone Mountain by Garrett County Emergency Medical Services shortly after 9:30 a.m. At the time, the child’s mother was enroute to the hospital nearly 40 miles away when she suffered complications and went into labor. An off-duty medical professional from UPMC Western Maryland Regional Medical Center came upon the woman and assisted with the delivery of the infant. Tri-Towns Emergency Medical Services and Bloomington Volunteer Fire Company responded to provide emergency medical care to the mother and infant.
Due to the deteriorating medical condition of the infant, the Maryland State Police (MSP) Duty Officer, stationed in the Operations Control Center (OCC) in Baltimore, MD received a request for assistance from Garrett County volunteers for a MEDEVAC. Maryland State Police Trooper 5 out of Cumberland, MD was dispatched and arrived on scene within 15 minutes.
The infant’s medical condition led to the crew of Trooper 5 to make the decision to fly the infant and mother to J. W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia at approximately 9:45a.m. yesterday morning. As Trooper 5 departed the scene, complicated weather conditions enroute and limited flight visibility led to the crew requesting an instrument clearance from Air Traffic Control. Using the AW139 aircraft’s advanced avionics the crew was able to execute the instrument approach into Morgantown nearly 60 miles away. Trooper 5 was able to successfully transport the mother and infant to the medical facility for further treatment.
The Maryland State Police Aviation Command has served Maryland citizens since 1970, and operates a fleet of 10 helicopters from seven bases throughout Maryland on a 24/7/365 basis. Missions include medevac, law enforcement, search & rescue, homeland security, and disaster assessment. The success of rescues performed by the Aviation Command depends a great deal on the cooperative efforts of local fire, rescue and EMS law enforcement agencies.
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CONTACT: Office of Media Communications, 410-653-4236