Deputies help pregnant woman in labor get to hospital during Milton in time to deliver baby

RELATED VIDEO -- Floridians share their relief and resilience after Hurricane Milton’s impact. (Source: WTVM)
Published: Oct. 11, 2024 at 7:25 PM EDT

POLK COUNTY, Fla. (Gray News) - Deputies in Florida are being praised for their actions in helping get an expectant mother to the hospital during the wrath of Hurricane Milton.

According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, 911 dispatch received a call just after 3 a.m. Thursday about a young pregnant woman going into labor.

Deputy Goolsby, Deputy Jones and Deputy Calderin responded to the call as Milton was still bearing down on Polk County.

Because of the high winds, ambulances were unable to transport patients. So, the deputies used their patrol vehicles to assist the expecting parents, Zenia and Javier, and a family member to the hospital.

Deputy Calderin drove Zenia and Javier in her patrol car while deputies Jones and Goolsby took care of transporting a relative.

Zenia ended up giving birth to a healthy baby girl named Jade later that day.

Polk County deputies helped transport a pregnant woman to the hospital as she was going into labor during Hurricane Milton.(Polk County Sheriff's Office)

The Polk County deputies visited the family the following day to congratulate them while also receiving their own thank you.

First responders in Polk County have been working around the clock with rescue and cleanup efforts in the storm’s aftermath.