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Trucker who got 'Highway Angel' award for saving couple from Hurricane Milton floodwater lands in hospital

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Published  October 31, 2024 11:28pm EDT
Plant City
FOX 13 News

'Highway Angel' honored for saving couple

Genevieve Curtis reports

TAMPA, Fla. - A semi-truck driver who risked his own life to save a Plant City couple from floodwaters during the heights of Hurricane Milton got national recognition for his actions. 

George Maxwell rescued Tonia Muse and Dan Heton from rising floodwaters and drove them to higher ground. They planned on riding out Hurricane Milton in their barn, which they thought was safer from the wind than their camper. 

However, they didn't expect the floodwaters that would surround their barn. 

READ: Florida sees dramatic increase in flesh-eating bacteria cases after back-to-back hurricanes

"I've never seen water in this area like this before. I was born and raised in this area, and I’ve never seen water like that," said Muse.

The couple manages a lot near I-4 where truckers can park, and they realized during the height of the storm that they were no longer safe. That's when Maxwell opened the barn door. 

"He was like, no, come on, guys, we've got to go. We've got to go," Heton said.

Pictured: George Maxwell. 

The trio took a short path towards the truck, wading through chest-high water in dangerous conditions with the wind at the height of Milton's wrath on the Bay Area. Muse said they almost got swept away, but they made it to the semi-truck and to safety. 

MORE: Mosquito-borne illness found in Bay Area after Hurricane Milton

"I stopped myself, and I realized, and I turned to George I said, 'dude, you just saved our lives,’" said Heton.

The National Truckload Carriers Association honored Maxwell for his heroism with a "Highway Angel Award."

Pictured: Tonia Muse and Dan Heton. 

"I didn't do nothing more than nobody else would have done, I hope," said Maxwell.

But, the story doesn't end there. Maxwell is now in the hospital because of that daring rescue during the storm. He's being treated for a painful, flesh-eating bacteria he got from the floodwaters he waded through. 

FOX 13 asked if he would have done it again despite the pain he's in now. He replied, "Absolutely. I mean, I would hope somebody would do it for me. I would do it for anybody else."

Maxwell lost his personal truck in the floodwaters. Heton and Muse said they recently had Maxwell over for dinner and now consider him a friend for life. 

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