Mail lady who ignored snow warnings saw 96-yr-old waving at her from garage doorway—her impromptu decision saved her life
A small, unrelated decision can lead to a huge change in outcome for someone. A mail carrier who decided to deliver mail during a snowstorm hadn't thought that her decision would actually end up saving a 96-year-old woman's life. The mail carrier, Deanna Chatman, explained that her workplace, USPS, had told the mail carriers not to go out and deliver mail if they didn't feel safe. But she ended up going anyway. In the middle of her mail route, she noticed something and ended up saving a senior woman's life, per 5 on your side.
"It was snowing. And USPS told us, 'Don't go out and deliver mail if you don't feel safe,' but something told me just to go," Chatman recounted. She was at the Maryland Heights subdivision when she saw a woman waving from inside a garage. So Chatman stopped to see if she needed any help. The old woman requested Chatman to call 911 as she couldn't stand up. She felt that she had either broken her leg or her hip. The woman had fallen near her mailbox located at the end of her driveway. She was alone at her house and had managed to get to her garage somehow. The resident tried to go inside the house, but couldn't.
Chatman called the ambulance immediately and waited with the old woman for 20 minutes until help arrived. She learned that the woman had been out without a coat for three hours. The lady had no other option but to wait and see if someone would notice that she needed help. "She heard people, but they couldn't hear her, until Ms. Chatman came to drop off mail and heard her and ran into the garage," her granddaughters explained. "She must have slipped on her driveway because she didn't have any shoes on. She just had on some pants and a shirt. No socks or anything," Chatman pointed out. The old woman's legs were scratched up and muddy because she tried to drag herself through the driveway.
The sight was really hard for her family to witness, according to her granddaughter. "The family all tried to put ourselves in her shoes, like how scary that must have been, just lying there and no one hearing her or seeing her." On the other hand, Chatman was glad that she could help someone in need. She continued on her route after help arrived for the senior woman. "It probably happens more than we know, but the mail people are helping people all the time. Like she did this and probably went on with her day. She didn't think anything of it," the granddaughter continued.
Chatman's supervisor called her about the incident a few days later and applauded her efforts. "You did an awesome job. Her granddaughter said if you hadn't called the ambulance, she wouldn't have made it," the supervisor shared. The highest temperature that day was only 26 degrees, according to the outlet. Chatman's manager appreciated her effort and gave her balloons and flowers for the same. "Deanna's actions made a real difference that day and we couldn't be more proud of her conduct and dedication. We are excited for her to receive her Postmaster General Award, which recognizes exceptional heroism that reflects positively on the USPS," Tara Jarrett, strategic communications specialist at the company, explained. The old woman was recovering at the hospital.