Woman saved from sinking car gives birth hours later... on her birthday

A pregnant woman was rescued from a sinking car by a good Samaritan on her birthday, and then delivered her baby hours later.

Key Takeaways:

• Shedly Apollon veered off the road and into a pond after she began to feel faint. She tried to free herself, but the driver-side and passenger doors were already submerged.

• Logan Hayes saw the car sinking, dove in after her, and managed to get Apollon to safety.

• Apollon was rushed to the hospital, where doctors performed an emergency c-section; she and her daughter now share a birthday.

The Details:

In an interview with CBS 12, Apollon said she was driving to get a prenatal massage on her birthday when she began to feel faint. Planning to pull off the road, she instead lost control of the car, which landed in a pond and began sinking.

“Immediately, I tried to open my driver-side door and the passenger door, but they were both submerged,” Apollon said while still in the hospital. “I was banging on the window like, ‘Someone save me,’ because normal people — they just drive by and record instead of assist.”

Logan Hayes saw her car sinking, and in a separate interview with CBS 12, explained that he didn't think twice about helping. “I threw my hat off, ripped my hoodie off, ripped my boots off took three or four full-stride steps and just dove in," he said. He was able to pull her from the car, and didn't notice she was pregnant until they were swimming back to shore.

“When he swung that door open, I was just like, ‘Okay, you are an angel. You came out of nowhere,” she said.

Miraculous survival: pregnant Florida woman pulled from sinking car welcomes baby girl

Other people nearby began giving her blankets and clothing to keep her warm. While the extent of her injuries are not known, Martin County Fire and Rescue said they were "serious" and she had to be taken to a trauma center:

Reports from the scene indicate that as the car began to sink, a Good Samaritan who witnessed the crash immediately jumped into action. We were told the witness swam roughly 30 feet from the shore to reach the vehicle. He was able to reach the driver, whom he recognized was pregnant, and open the door. Thankfully, he successfully pulled her to safety before the car was completely lost under the water.

... We are incredibly grateful for the bravery shown by this citizen. His quick decision to swim out and reach the driver undoubtedly changed the outcome of this incident.

Zoom In:

At the hospital, doctors performed an emergency c-section. Apollon was 33 weeks pregnant, and her daughter, Ivory Sully, had to be admitted into the NICU. Several days later, Apollon was finally able to have skin-to-skin contact with her daughter.

“Having her hands touch me and feeling her heartbeat — it was surreal,” she said. “Today showed me I can be strong because she’s fighting as well.”

Her fiancé, Woodly Sully, also said he is giving thanks to God that both of them survived.

“I got to see both of my girls,” he said. “She came out with no scratches, and the only way I can explain this is — that’s God.”

Apollon also said sharing her birthday with her daughter is another special coincidence.

“We can share this with her one day. I can laugh with her. Now that we share a birthday, our bond is tighter than ever," she said, adding, “I was upset about the car taking a swim, but now they can have it. I have my baby girl.”

The Bottom Line:

Hayes and Apollon have not been able to reunite in person, but they were able to FaceTime, where Apollon thanked him for not only saving her, but saving her daughter as well.