Brisbane dad charged with driving offence after racing to hospital to save baby
After being told an ambulance could take more than 45 minutes, a Brisbane dad risked a criminal conviction in order to save his baby son.
When Slade James Watson’s seven-month-old son began having breathing problems, the Brisbane man risked a criminal conviction to save his child.
After being told it would take more than 45 minutes for an ambulance to reach his home, Mr Watson, 25, drove his baby to the hospital himself, the Caboolture Shire Herald reports.
However, the security worker was pulled over by police at 1.45pm on November 10 in 2021, when it was revealed he was driving while unlicensed. Previous to this, Mr Watson had also recorded criminal and traffic offences and had served jail stints during the past six years, the publication stated.
Appearing at the Caboolture Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Mr Watson pleaded guilty and admitted that he was aware of the consequences, however his son’s wellbeing was more important.
“I know it was wrong but I just had to save my son,” he said.
“I knew I would get in trouble … but I just had to do it.”
Although the median wait time for ambulances in Queensland is 10.5 minutes, briefing documents from the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) revealed that emergency patients in southeast Queensland – which includes the Deception Bay area Mr Watson is from – can wait in excess of one to two hours.
Looking at 11 days between April and May last year, the papers showed that paramedics were “overwhelmed” and “struggling” with limited resources.
Presiding over the case, Magistrate Andrew Hackett said he understood Mr Watson was operating under a “moral emergency”.
In his sentencing, the father-of-one was charged, fined $300 and disqualified from driving for one month.
No conviction was recorded.
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