A woman from the Acadian Peninsula found herself in front of a closed bridge in Shippagan as she was about to give birth to twins. The workers who work every night on the bridge that connects Lamèque to Shippagan prevented her from passing. Despite a good scare, everyone is doing well.
Debbie Mallet of Sainte-Marie-Saint-Raphaël did not expect to give birth on the night of October 10 to 11. Pregnant with twins, they arrived at 28 weeks of pregnancy. When her water began to break, she phoned her stepfather to rush her to a hospital in Miramichi.
“They went here to the barrier. Jean-Claude crossed that barrier. When he arrived on the other side, there are men working on the bridge (…) He said he had a woman who was giving birth in the truck, ”explains the mother of Debbie Mallet , Berthe Mazerolle.
However, impossible to pass.
“They consulted each other and they said the bridge was closed for the night. Only emergency vehicles are allowed to pass, ”adds Berthe Mazerolle.
Debbie Mallet and her stepfather had to turn back and called 911. An ambulance finally came to pick her up.
“There had been no communication between the ambulance and the bridge. When they arrived at the bridge, the workers were still there working. It took another six to eight minutes for them to come down the bridge and leave,” says Berthe Mazerolle.
The family believes that the inaction of the workers caused the young woman to lose forty precious minutes. Her mother says she is worried about all the other citizens of the Acadian Islands. The bridge is closed every night between 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. for renovations for an indefinite period.
“Anyone may need. If it’s for a medical emergency, even if it’s not a police car or an ambulance, you have to let it pass, ”says Berthe Mazerolle.
On Monday morning, the Department of Transportation issued a public notice stating that emergency vehicles were permitted to pass.
The mother and her two babies are doing well. They are out of danger and in stable condition. They should be home in about a month and a half.