Have you ever wondered what happens to people who speed down the road for a medical emergency? It turns out that you can still get in trouble for breaking traffic laws, no matter if your hazard lights are on, someone is in labor, or you call it in.

Keep some of that in mind as you learn about Darius Hinkle, a father who was arrested after speeding to get his 1-year-old to the hospital. Hinkle’s driving violations led to a police pursuit involving multiple cruisers that ended at Touchette Regional Hospital.

The Illinois dad and his girlfriend sped to the hospital because their daughter was choking on a penny. Not only did Hinkle admit that he was driving with a suspended license, but officers told him he clocked in over 100 miles per hour. He knew the risks of driving the way he did but said all that went out the door and he was only thinking about his daughter.

He was arrested on the spot and taken into custody. The child’s mother was finally able to take the baby inside where she was immediately treated and stabilized. Little Damani was okay.

When Hinkle’s girlfriend, Donecia Pittman, arrived at the jail to bail him out, she surprised to find a woman she didn’t know there to pay his bond. It turned out to be one of the nurses from the hospital! Pittman learned that a group of them had pooled their money together to help bond him out.

Both parents are extremely grateful to the nurses for taking care of their daughter and for their kind gesture. Pittman stated, “They were there for us ever since we had got there. I couldn’t thank them enough.”

The nurses were moved by the father’s actions to save his daughter and after seeing what transpired with the police, wanted to help. Although no one knows how things will play out in traffic court for Hinkle, his case isn’t the first of its kind.

People caught speeding because of medical emergencies are often stopped and given citations for traffic violations. In some cases, ambulance assistance is offered and taken, but if declined, the cops will often write you up. They don’t always take someone’s word for it.

This goes for doctors rushing to the hospital, women in labor, or folks who are in need of immediate medical attention. What should one do?

As with Hinkle, it’s a hard call. When faced with a frightening, life-threatening emergency, do you wait for an ambulance to show up or do you take matters into your own hands?

If the police wind up chasing you all the way to the hospital’s ER, should they stick strictly to protocol or address the medical emergency at hand?

Watch the video below to hear about what happened once these parents arrived at the hospital and their reaction to the nurses’ kindness.

Would you have done the same thing if you were in this father’s shoes? What are your thoughts on the nurses’ actions? Have you ever broken traffic laws for a medical emergency?