TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A trucker has been named a “Highway Angel” after wading through rapidly rising flood waters and risking his own life to save a Plant City couple trapped in their home.
George Maxwell, a Tampa native who works for TransAm Trucking Inc. out of Olathe, Kansas, was in Plant City when Hurricane Milton made landfall on the night of Oct. 9.
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The rain had already started billowing down as Maxwell was heading to move his semi-truck to higher ground, according to the trucking company .
He drove his personal pickup truck through the worsening conditions, but by the time he got to the lot where he had parked the semi, Maxwell realized there was no time to save both vehicles.
“I’m in the truck,” Maxwell said. “I’m watching the water come up higher, and it’s getting bad.”
He then abandoned his personal vehicle and focused on getting his semi-truck to safety. But while preparing to leave, his journey took an unexpected turn.