Postal Service employees in Texas, Indiana and Oklahoma recently helped customers injured in falls at home.
City Carrier Assistant Paul Garcia was delivering mail in Lubbock, TX, when he saw a man fall in his garage. When Garcia helped the customer up and turned to leave, the man fell again, this time gashing his head open on the concrete floor. Garcia called 911 and rendered first aid until emergency responders arrived.
While delivering mail in Fort Wayne, IN, Letter Carrier Matt Copeland heard a customer yelling for help. He discovered that she’d locked herself out of her house, clothed only in a robe on a day with single-digit temperatures, and fallen on ice as she tried to reach a neighbor’s residence. Copeland called 911 and covered her with his coat until emergency responders arrived. The woman was treated for a broken pelvis and cuts.
Oklahoma City Rural Carrier Alva Reynolds also encountered a customer who was stranded outside after slipping on ice. Reynolds was the first passerby to hear the woman crying out for help. After he called 911, he got a blanket from her car to help her warm up, retrieved her phone from her purse so she could contact a family member, and stayed with her until emergency responders arrived.