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Employee plays it cool, saves customer’s life

James Lange, a rural carrier associate, was delivering mail on a scorching July day in Omaha, AR, when he spotted a customer in distress in a yard outside a residence. Lange rushed to check on the man, called 911 and comforted him until emergency responders arrived. The customer was hospitalized for treatment of a heart … Read more

Mail, dog were clues to customer in distress

Rural Carrier Michael Elkins was making deliveries on a recent Monday in Mount Gilead, NC, when he grew concerned about an 86-year-old customer who lives alone and had not picked up her Saturday mail as usual. As Elkins approached her house to check on the woman, he heard her normally quiet dog barking in distress. … Read more

Rural Carrier carries injured customer to safety

Rural Carrier Tony Merschman was recently delivering mail when he spotted a customer who’d fallen in her driveway and couldn’t get up on her own. Merschman rushed to the woman’s aid and safely carried her inside her residence. She declined medical attention, but the Postal Service employee was concerned about injuries she sustained when she … Read more

Rural Carrier averts one tragedy, responds to another

Rural Carrier Associate Keith Cooper was recently delivering mail in Point, TX, when he came upon an 83-year-old customer sprawled out in a ditch near her mailbox. Cooper rushed to aid the woman, who had fallen two hours earlier while gathering kindling for the winter. He safely helped her stand up, at which point her … Read more

Rural Carrier swoops in to rescue injured pedestrian

Albert Dangelantonio Jr., a rural carrier associate, was recently delivering mail in Bridgewater, CT, when he saw an older customer take a spill while walking two dogs. Dangelantonio stopped to check on the man and found him to be disoriented and bleeding profusely. The Postal Service employee immediately called 911 and remained on the scene … Read more

Wandering customer with dementia rescued by rural carrier

Terry Curry, a rural carrier in Jeffersonville, GA, was recently delivering mail when she came upon an older customer walking along a dirt road on a day with triple-digit temperatures. Curry stopped to check on the woman, who said she was on her way to her son’s home but didn’t feel well and didn’t think … Read more

Rural Carrier saves customer stranded with broken hip

Rural Carrier Heather Parmley was recently making deliveries in Hughson, CA, when she grew concerned about an older customer who had not collected mail as usual. Parmley spoke through the front door but got no response, at which point a neighbor came out and offered to call the woman. When the customer’s phone rang, Parmley … Read more

Rural carrier responds to ATV accident

Julie Bish, a rural carrier, was recently delivering mail in New Bethlehem, PA, when the sight of a downed mailbox gave her pause. She soon spotted the apparent cause: an all-terrain vehicle that had crashed nearby. The Postal Service employee stopped to take a closer look and found a man pinned underneath the four-wheeler, which … Read more

Rural carrier rescues wayward tot

Rural Carrier Becky Woolard was recently delivering mail in Bath, NC, when she spotted a toddler in trouble: The 3-year-old had taken a wooded path to their grandparents’ house next door, but no one was at home at the time. Woolard walked the toddler back along the path, and the mother was unaware her kid … Read more

Rural Carrier rescues customer felled by blood sugar

Caroline Badgett, a rural carrier associate, was recently making deliveries in Eustace, TX, when she spotted a customer lying in a yard outside a residence. Badgett rushed to check on the customer, who was unresponsive, and immediately called 911. Paramedics soon arrived to provide medical attention. They determined that the customer’s blood sugar level was … Read more

Rural Carrier saves customer crushed in farm accident

Rural Carrier Kari Kerndt-Hammel was delivering mail one day last fall at a farm in Waukon, IA, when she saw something that alarmed her: A driverless tractor crashed through a fence before coming to a stop in a barnyard. Fearful for the well-being of farmer Don McGraw, Kerndt-Hammel rushed to locate the man, whom she … Read more

Rural Carrier responds effectively to two wildfires

Rural Carrier Joyce Williamson was recently delivering mail in Cushing, TX, when she spotted a wildfire that was surrounding a farmer on a tractor. Unable to get the man’s attention by honking her horn, Williamson got out of her vehicle and waved at the farmer until he recognized the danger. He got off his tractor … Read more

Rural Carrier rescues customer from dog attack

Rural Carrier Associate Martin Hernandez was recently making deliveries in Ferris, TX, when he came upon a customer who’d fallen in her driveway while being attacked by two dogs. The woman’s wheelchair-bound son was nearby but was unable to successfully intervene, so Hernandez safely ended the attack and called 911. He comforted the customer while … Read more

Humans, horse benefit from rural carrier’s kindness

Jeremy Bohnert, a rural carrier in Hillsboro, WI, recently encountered two emergency situations while delivering mail in his community. On a rainy day in May, he came upon an older customer yelling for help as she lay on the ground outside her home. Bohnert helped the woman, who had fallen, get back on her feet. … Read more

Rural Carrier takes charge of customer’s crisis

Rural Carrier Timothy Beckham was delivering mail last year in tiny Quitman, LA, when he spotted a customer who’d fallen on her porch. Beckham rushed to aid the woman, who had been stranded for two hours. He safely helped her up, then called police to request further assistance. “The customer said if it weren’t for … Read more

Rural Carrier saves customer hanging on after fall

Rural Carrier Amy Fitch was recently delivering mail in Spotsylvania, VA, when she grew concerned about an older customer. The woman had not retrieved packages left on the porch several days earlier, so Fitch stopped to check on her. When the Postal Service employee knocked on the front door, the customer yelled for help. Fitch … Read more

Rural Carrier keeps vulnerable woman safe from water

Rural Carrier Theresa Rankin was delivering mail on a frigid February day in Ridgely, MD, when she spotted an older woman walking out of a creek. Rankin immediately stopped to check on the woman, who was disoriented and said she wanted to return to the creek “to meet my friend.” The USPS employee called 911, … Read more