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Toll worker denies passage to woman in labor over lack of cash Image: Cristofer Espinoza, Cooperativa (archivo)
🇨🇱 Chile /Crime & Justice

Toll worker denies passage to woman in labor over lack of cash

From Cooperativa · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A woman in labor was denied passage at a toll booth in Chile's Biobío Region because she did not have cash to pay.
  • The toll worker refused to lift the barrier until the toll was paid.
  • The baby's father described the situation as "unexpected" and "painful."

An extraordinary situation unfolded at a toll booth in Chile's Biobío Region when a woman in active labor was denied passage because her partner did not have cash to pay the toll. The couple was en route to Las Higueras Hospital when they encountered the barrier on the Autopista Interportuaria, which connects Penco, Concepción, and Talcahuano.

Dylan Nova, the baby's father, recounted the incident, stating, "It was a totally unexpected response, and it didn't make me angry, it hurt me." He explained that the toll worker refused to lift the barrier, insisting on payment. Lacking sufficient cash and unable to pay via mobile signal, Nova asked the toll worker if she could cover the 2,500 Chilean pesos (approximately $2.60 USD) and he would reimburse her.

It was a totally unexpected response, and it didn't make me angry, it hurt me.

— Dylan NovaThe father of the baby describing his reaction to the toll worker's refusal.

After a period of being stopped, a driver from a car behind offered to pay the toll. Nova expressed gratitude for the stranger's help, noting that without it, they would have remained stranded. The incident highlights a stark lack of flexibility and empathy in a critical situation, leaving the couple distressed during a medical emergency.

She wasn't going to lift the barrier if we didn't pay, we didn't have change, we didn't have signal to pay, so I asked the toll booth girl if she could pay it and I would pay her back and she said 'no, because it's 2,500 pesos that I don't have'.

— Dylan NovaThe father detailing his interaction with the toll worker.
About this summary

Originally published by Cooperativa in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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