Kidney Transplant Delivery Delayed En Route To Boston Children's Hospital

By Jason Hall

October 11, 2021

Boston Children's Hospital
Photo: Getty Images

A Massachustts State Police traffic stop delayed the delivery of a kidney en route to Boston Children's Hospital for a transplant procedure.

WBZ-TV I Team reports State Police are investigating the incident after the unmarked medical transport vehicle was pulled over in the Charlton area on the Massachusetts Turnpike while traveling into Boston from outside New England.

Police said the driver of the vehicle was unlicensed and the responding trooper called for the van to be towed by Interstate Towing in Sturbridge before realizing the kidney was inside the vehicle.

A Boston Children's Hospital operating room nurse contacted the State Police to notify them that the kidney was needed for a patient at the hospital.

Troopers at the scene sent the vehicle to a tow lot and transported the kidney to the hospital, authorities told WBZ-TV.

State Police are continuing to investigate the incident, but confirmed the kidney was delivered within a half hour of receiving a call from the hospital.

CBS Boston contacted the hospital to confirm the viability of the kidney and transplant and the hospital responded by saying it was given strict rules around organ transplant privacy and could not comment on the incident.

Kidneys can only last outside of the human body for a span of 24-to-36 hours.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.