Florida Hero Saves Pregnant Driver; Baby Born Same Day

Shedly Appolon will never forget her 29th birthday, the day a stranger jumped into a pond to save her life and her unborn daughter made an unexpected early arrival.

On February 6, Appolon was driving on Interstate 95 in Florida when she suddenly became dizzy and lost control of her car. The vehicle crashed into a pond, and water quickly began filling the cabin.

"I tried to open my driver side door and the passenger door, but they were both submerged in water, so I couldn't get out," Appolon told ABC's West Palm Beach station. Panic started to set in as the water rose higher.

That's when Logan Hayes, driving past the scene, spotted the car sinking into the pond. Without hesitation, he jumped into the water and swam approximately 30 feet to reach the submerged vehicle.

Hayes managed to pry open the back door just as Appolon felt herself running out of options. "When he swung that door open, I just said, like, 'OK, you are an angel,'" she recalled.

Hayes didn't realize his rescue was doubly urgent until he grabbed Appolon around her hips to help her swim to shore. "That's when I realized she was pregnant, because obviously I was wrapped around her and could feel her stomach," he told reporters.

Emergency crews met them onshore and rushed Appolon to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital with serious injuries. Dr. David Rubay, chief of trauma and general surgery, said his team quickly determined the baby needed to be delivered right away.

At 33 weeks pregnant, Appolon gave birth to a healthy baby girl via cesarean section that same day. Mother and daughter now share the same birthday, February 6.

Sunny's Take

Some heroes wear capes. Others just happen to be driving past at exactly the right moment and don't think twice about diving in. Hayes had no way of knowing he was saving two lives that day, but his split-second decision to act gave Appolon and her daughter a future together. Now every birthday celebration will carry an extra layer of gratitude for the stranger who became their guardian angel.

Both Appolon and her newborn daughter are recovering well and in good health, according to hospital officials.