unusual fare sees Cabbie turn delivery driver for day

But for cabbie Alan Simpson, what seemed like a routine pick-up took him outside even his usual boundaries.

After pulling up outside Broomhouse Court, Alan, 44, was ushered inside by a panic-stricken father just in time to take on the role of midwife and see tiny Anthony Dobos take his first breath.

The driver phoned for an ambulance and thrust himself into the role as a 999 operator relayed advice to help mum Adrien Landvai and partner Zoltan Dobos.

Alan, who lives in Musselburgh, then calmly helped wrap up the little boy before going back to work.

He said: “It was just a normal start to the day and I got a job to the Royal Infirmary.

“I pulled up and a man was at the window, you could see he was frantic and was saying ‘you must help’. I went up the stairs but I wasn’t too sure what was going on.

“I went in and there was the woman. I’d never been in that situation before but I just got on the phone to the ambulance.

“The baby came out straight away. Everybody was in panic mode and there was blood everywhere, but they told me what to do. I think the baby boy was the most relaxed one in the room – he just let out a little whimper.

“The ambulance turned up quite quickly but it seemed like an age. I’ve been a cabbie for 15 years but I’ve never had a job like that.”

After handing the scene over to paramedics, Alan went back to work and called back later in the day to check on the mother and child.

He added: “It might have made a difference to have a calming voice, although I wasn’t that calm. When I left the dad was standing proudly with the wee boy in his arms. It felt good, seeing that baby born was quite amazing.”

Adrien, who is originally from Hungary and moved to Edinburgh three years ago, said: “It was all such a rush, but we all want to say thank you to Alan. If he was not here we don’t know what would have happened.”

Adrien’s friend, Bea’ta Sipos, was also present at the birth and praised Alan’s efforts. She said: “Alan was so calm, more than any of us. I think if he wasn’t here something bad could have happened. It can be hard when you’re not from this country to get instructions over the phone.”

Following the dramatic birth on Tuesday morning, Adrien and Anthony were taken to the Royal Infirmary, but were discharged later that day.

Adrien, now a mother of four, is now back at home with the healthy new addition to the family. “The family is very, very happy, we are excited,” she added.

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The taxi driver and the mum’s partner both did a fantastic job.”

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