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Heroes’ corner

Employee gets help — and visitors — for ailing customer

Eric Walker
Binghamton, NY, Letter Carrier Earl Walker

Binghamton, NY, Letter Carrier Earl Walker knew something was wrong last fall when he noticed a couple days’ worth of mail piled inside a customer’s mailbox.

Walker had previously given the man his cell phone number and told him to call if ever he needed help. The man’s vehicle was parked in the driveway and no one answered when Walker knocked on the front door, so he called police.

Emergency responders found the man lying on a floor upstairs, unable to move after several items had fallen on him.

While the man was recovering in a nursing home, Walker alerted the neighbors and encouraged them to visit him. “I feel good about connecting people that otherwise would not be connected,” Walker said.

Although the American Red Cross recently honored Walker for his good deed, he doesn’t consider himself a hero. He said he was just doing his job as a letter carrier.

“Nobody else has this type of relationship with people,” Walker said. “We’re up on porches every day. I was genuinely worried about the guy. I just did what I was compelled to do.”

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