.jpg){kind=link}
Giving birth is no doubt a stressful, emotional and mind-frazzling situation; enough to make any parent a bit forgetful – which could be why one couple accidentally left their newborn in a taxi on the way home from the hospital.
I’m not one to judge, but you’d think the new little family member you’d just welcomed into your life would be your sole focus of attention for some time. As long as it took to get home from the hospital, at least.
But after having the baby be a built-in part of the mother’s body for some time, it seems the parents simply forgot they actually had to pick it up when they left the car.
According to ITV News, police in Hamburg revealed yesterday (May 20) the parents had arrived home from the hospital, got their one-year-old child, the newborn’s sibling, out of the car, paid the driver, and said goodbye.
It was only as the taxi pulled away that they realised something was missing. A very big – metaphorically – something. Police defended the parents, and explained they had only been out of the taxi for a few seconds before it drove away.
The father attempted to chase the cab on foot, but failed to get the driver’s attention. The taxi driver was completely unaware of his accidental passenger, who was reportedly asleep and therefore not making any telling noises.
After leaving the family behind, the taxi driver drove to an underground parking garage, where he left his car, and consequently the baby, to go for lunch.
Amazingly, the driver returned to the car and even went to pick up a customer at the airport before noticing his little passenger.
He quickly called the police, and after a check up from an ambulance to ensure the baby was okay after its impromptu adventure, the newborn was reunited with its grateful parents.
I have to admit, I don’t have much hope for the couple’s phones or keys if they managed to forget their young child in a car! But I’m sure they’ll have learned from their mistake, and will likely keep a close eye on their little one from now on.
As for the baby, hopefully it had a great time cruising around in the driver’s car. It’s certainly an interesting way to spend one of your first days on earth!
Amazing.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to stories@unilad.co.uk.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.