A routine night turned into an unforgettable experience for three strangers when they worked together to help a woman give birth in a Salt Lake City gas station parking lot—guided by a 911 dispatcher.
Just before the new year, Michael Flores noticed a woman in distress on the side of the road in the early morning hours. Concerned, he pulled over and asked if she was okay.
“She told me she was sick,” Flores recalled. Without hesitation, he helped her into his truck and started driving toward the hospital.
Unbeknownst to him, his friend Maurio Quire was following close behind.
“I saw him speed up out of nowhere, and I had no idea why,” Quire said.
Moments later, it became clear—the woman was in labor, and the baby wasn’t waiting. With no time to reach the hospital, Flores pulled into the first open place he saw: a Maverik gas station on Redwood Road.
As he rushed inside for help, he shouted to the employees, “There’s a woman in my truck having a baby!”
Mary McKenzie, who happened to be working that night despite it being her day off, found herself in an unexpected role.
“My coworkers looked at me and said, ‘Mary, you’ve had kids. You help!’” she said. “I’ve had children, yes—but I’ve never delivered one!”
With no medical professionals present, the group called 911. Dispatcher Joyce Jones answered, immediately providing step-by-step instructions to guide them through the birth.
“Just stay on the line—I’ll tell you exactly what to do,” Jones reassured them.
As the moments unfolded, the scene grew tense. Armed with nothing but gloves and napkins from the gas station, McKenzie stepped up to assist, following Jones’s guidance.
“She needs to push, right?” McKenzie asked.
“Yes, tell her to push hard,” Jones confirmed.
Within seconds, a baby boy was born—right in McKenzie’s arms.
“It was incredible,” she said. “I looked down, and there he was.”
However, a challenge arose: the umbilical cord was wrapped around the newborn’s neck. Acting quickly, McKenzie unwrapped it and then swaddled the baby in napkins to keep him warm.
Paramedics and firefighters arrived moments later, taking over the care of both mother and baby.
Back at the dispatch center, Jones’s coworkers had been listening to the call unfold. The moment she announced the baby’s safe arrival, the room erupted into applause.
“It was an amazing moment to witness,” Jones said.
For Flores, Quire, and McKenzie, the night was nothing short of life-changing.
“I never imagined I’d help deliver a baby,” Flores said.
“To see a new life come into the world and know we made a difference—it’s something I’ll never forget,” Quire added.
McKenzie reflected on the extraordinary event, saying, “I doubt anyone else has delivered a baby in a Maverik parking lot.”
While the identities of the mother and baby remain private, they were reportedly doing well when transported to the hospital.
What started as an ordinary night turned into an unforgettable act of kindness—one that connected three strangers forever.
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