Mossos d'Esquadra officers assisted a woman in giving birth by the roadside on the C-16 motorway near Castellbell i el Vilar, Central Catalonia, on Thursday, 23 April 2026. The unexpected roadside birth occurred while the officers were on duty transferring a prisoner.
The incident unfolded at approximately 11:10am as a uniformed patrol from the Penitentiary Area, assigned to Quatre Camins prison, was transporting an inmate from Lledoners penitentiary centre to Bellvitge Hospital. Three officers and the prisoner were travelling in the vehicle, heading towards Barcelona near kilometre 42 of the C-16, close to the Castellbell i el Vilar toll booth.
Suddenly, another vehicle overtook the patrol, stopped on the hard shoulder, and a "very nervous man" exited, shouting for help and signalling for the police to stop, according to Regió7. Officers initially "quickly thought someone had suffered a heart attack."
Officers Respond to Urgent Call
While some officers quickly set up priority devices to secure the road and manage traffic, others spoke with the man, who "stated in an agitated manner that his wife needed urgent help." Upon approaching the vehicle, officers observed a woman in the passenger seat showing clear signs of imminent birth, her waters having broken and experiencing strong pains.
The officers' first reaction was to "calm the couple and tell them they would accompany them to the hospital," but the mother insisted "no, that the birth was imminent," according to the female officer who was driving the patrol vehicle. As police gave instructions and helped the woman control her breathing, they asked the father to undress his wife from the waist down. The father then reported that "he could perfectly see the baby coming out."
Rapid Roadside Delivery
The father was the only one able to assist directly due to the confined space inside the car, while the officers contacted the control room to request an urgent ambulance, providing the necessary details to the SEM (Emergency Medical Services). The baby was born rapidly, "in about six or seven minutes it was out," and "luckily, it started crying immediately. That calmed us all down," the female officer told Regió7.
Although the officers present had children themselves and were not unfamiliar with birth, they expressed concerns. "We were afraid the child would be born with difficulties, with the cord wrapped around, a maternal haemorrhage or any other problem," the officer explained. Fortunately, both the mother and the newborn appeared to be in good health after the delivery.
During the incident, a road maintenance team arrived and assisted in signalling and diverting traffic from the occupied lane. Shortly after, a traffic police vehicle, SEM personnel, and a public safety unit arrived to take over the service. This allowed the original patrol to continue their prisoner transfer.
The female officer also recounted the prisoner's reaction to the unexpected event. "Luckily the prisoner was a good enough bloke, and when we explained everything to him, he was very happy about the birth!" she told Regió7.
