Plant City man rescued from Hurricane Milton floodwaters on life support after possible hit-and-run crash

Hurricane survivor injured in possible hit-and-run

Genevieve Curtis reports.

PLANT CITY, Fla. - UPDATE:

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office contacted FOX 13 on Thursday, March 27, to say detectives have determined this was not a hit-and-run. No further information was provided.

Original Story:

A Plant City man who was rescued from Hurricane Milton floodwaters is now on life support following a possible hit-and-run crash on March 15. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office's traffic homicide unit is now investigating the case.

The backstory:

Danny Heaton and his girlfriend of 18 years, Tonia Muse, were both rescued back in October from rising floodwaters by a Good Samaritan during the height of Hurricane Milton's aftermath. The couple was in their Plant City trailer when the water rose to their chest.

Trucker George Maxwell received a Highway Angel Award after he rescued the couple and drove them to higher ground.

Pictured: Danny Heaton (left) with Trucker George Maxwell.

But now, Heaton is on life support at Lakeland Regional Health.

Big picture view:

"Danny used to say, ‘you, saved my life like three or four times.’ I can't save him this time. There's nothing that can be done," said Muse.

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Muse said on March 15 that Heaton was riding his e-bike down to Walgreens to get medication and was on his way back when he was hit just before midnight on Thonotosassa Road.

Pictured: Danny Heaton in the hospital following the possible hit-and-run-crash.

"When these people hit him, they didn't stay. They left him for trash," said Muse. "He’s more important than that. He's mine. He's my person. And you know, and we finished each other's sentences," said Muse.

Dig deeper:

The crash report lists the vehicle that hit Heaton as "unknown." Muse said after 10 days on life support, she had to make a painful choice when she learned that he would not survive without machines.

"I know that we've evaluated, we've looked at all the options, to see what would be best for him. He would not want to be in the bed. He would not want to be in the bed," said Muse.

Pictured: Floodwaters surrounding Tonia Muse and Danny Heaton's Plant City trailer following Hurricane Milton.

READ: ‘Trooper’s Law’: Dog abandoned on I-75 during Hurricane Milton evacuations inspires Florida bill

What's next:

She said doctors are evaluating if Heaton can donate any organs, before they take him off life support, which would likely be on Wednesday. Muse wants the person who hit him held responsible.

"You took his life, and you took my life as well. Because I’ll never get over mourning him, never," said Muse.

What you can do:

Anyone with information should contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered through an interview with Tonia Muse. It also contains details from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and previous FOX 13 reporting.

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