Monday, Nov. 6 proved a typical night for Scripps La Jolla ER nurse Dayna Dumont. After a relatively steady night began to wind down, Dumont had the ability to leave a little earlier than usual. Since she works the overnight shift, Dumont was heading back to her home in North Park to catch some much-needed rest. This night had other plans for her, however. As she drove down a frontage road near Scripps, she came to a halt when she noticed man frantically waving for her to help. She stopped and approached the car, with the man, Hongwei Zhang, frantically saying “My wife, the baby.” “I was going home early, about 3 a.m., so there was no one else on the road,” said Dumont. “I noticed that their car was completely un-driveable. The airbags had deployed, the front bumper was completely off, and one wheel was completely useless. Even though they were about 200 yards from the hospital, I began helping as much as I could.
“It wasn’t until I noticed his wife, Ying Shi, was stuck in the back seat as her husband continued to be frantic. I asked her about the baby, which by this point had technically been delivered. I think the best thing I could’ve done at the time was to provide them with a calm presence because tensions were so high.”
Dumont noted that since she is an ER nurse, the standard protocol would involve her passing the delivery on to a natal unit. Without her emergency room doctors, medical device, etc. she was left in the literal dark to perform her first, and perhaps only delivery.
Originally from the San Francisco area, Dumont has been working at Scripps Health La Jolla for 16 months.
When prompted as to whether this is one of the more unique experiences she has been involved in, Dumont quickly replies: “Oh yeah, this is definitely something that will stick with me for years to come. The fact that everyone involved in the situation, especially their newborn child, was able to leave the scene of the accident unharmed, is truly a blessing.”