Okay, here’s a revised and fact-checked version of the provided text, incorporating corrections and updates based on web searches as of today, February 13, 2024. I’ve focused on verifying details like dates,names,weights,and hospital information. I’ve also clarified some phrasing for better readability.
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A Florida man, identified as Jimmie Hayes, rescued a pregnant woman from a sinking car in a retention pond in Martin County on February 6, 2024. The woman, identified as Lexi Apollon, was trapped inside as the vehicle rapidly filled with water.
Hayes told WPBF that the only door he could open upon reaching the vehicle was the rear passenger door,as all others were submerged. Apollon was frantic, asking how to get out. hayes urged her,”You have to come with me,” as he recounted to WPTV.
Apollon climbed between the two front seats into the back of her car as it tilted further, causing more water to rush in. Once she was out, Hayes wrapped his arms around her hips to help her swim to shore, and then realized she was pregnant, according to his interviews with WPBF and WPTV.
The car sank completely shortly after Apollon’s escape. Hayes then swam with her to the shore,approximately 50 feet away,where emergency responders,alerted by a bystander,were waiting,according to a statement from Martin County Fire Rescue.
After rescue divers confirmed no one else was inside the vehicle, apollon was transported to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce for treatment of serious injuries. Doctors performed an emergency C-section, and Apollon gave birth to a baby girl, Ivory Atara, weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces, within hours of the rescue.
Dr. David Rubay, chief of trauma at the hospital, emphasized the meaning of Hayes’s actions in an interview with WPTV. “Getting someone to jump in and open the door in the beginning – that made the whole difference,” he said.
WPBF reported that Ivory’s father, Wood
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