Mail carrier saved elderly woman's life after noticing letters pile up for three days

A post woman in America saved an elderly lady's life after she alerted authorities when she noticed the woman hadn't collected her mail in three days.

Kayla Berridge from New Hampshire explained how she became concerned when she noticed one of the women on her mail route hadn't collected her post from the post box for days, which was very out of character.

You can watch a news report below:

Noticing the mail had started to pile up and worried about the lady's welfare, Kayla had a gut feeling and decided to alert the police. After investigating, they discovered that the lady had been trapped on the floor of her bedroom for three days, with Kayla saving her life by raising the alarm.

"I just had a gut feeling and I wanted to make sure," Kayla told Channel 5 Boston.

"When people pick up their mail every day you start to notice their habits."

Police lieutenant Wayne Stevens, of the Newmarket Police Department told CNN that when detectives arrived on the scene, they could faintly hear the elderly woman calling for help as they knocked.

Once they were inside the property, police found the woman was trapped under items on her bedroom floor.

The lady was taken to hospital for dehydration and hypothermia and many have labelled Kayla a 'hero' for her quick thinking.

“Without a doubt, she saved this lady’s life,” Stevens said. “That’s part of being a letter carrier in a small town and taking your job to the next level. She did a great job.”

Meanwhile Kayla told CNN: “Newmarket is a great little town. Everyone has each other’s backs.”

YouTube/WCVB Channel 9 Boston

Following the incident, Stevens has explained the importance of 'wellness checks' within the community.

A wellness check is essentially when a police officer calls to a person's home after concerns have been raised by friends, family or a neighbour, for example.

Stevens explained to Newsweek that it's essential to alert the police if you're concerned about a neighbour.

"If they see something, they should say something," he said.

"A lot of people think they may be bothering the police, but it's our job."

YouTube/WCVB Channel 9 Boston

Speaking about the incident, one person commented: "That’s really cool. I love it when people are vigilant on their jobs."

While another said: "Thank you Kayla for your service!!"

And a third added: "How keenly observant and most caring!"

Topics: Life

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot.

@lucedevine