Speeding Dad-to-Be Gets Cop Escort, then Ticket

A New Hampshire man racing to get his pregnant wife to the hospital says he was given a state police escort, and then a speeding ticket.

John Coughlin says he'll fight the ticket, but the state police say it was deserved.

Police say Coughlin hit a speed of 102 mph in a 55 mph zone on Sept. 18 as he rushed to a Manchester hospital with his wife.

When a trooper tried to stop them, "I called 911 to make sure he knew I wasn't trying to outrun him or ignoring him," John told CBS station WBZ-TV in Boston.

The trooper then turned the pursuit into a hospital escort.

Kyle Coughlin was born six minutes after they all reached the hospital.

The trooper congratulated Coughlin on the birth of his son -- and then handed him a ticket.

John lamented to WBZ, "I thought it was ridiculous. I thought I had done everything I could
have done in a situation like that."

State Police Major Russell Conte says the trooper did the right thing, contending Coughlin put his wife, unborn child, himself and the public at risk.

The two sides are slated to go before a judge Monday.