Photo: Portland Press Herald
A mail carrier from New Hampshire is being credited with saving the life of an elderly woman who lives on her nine-mile route. Kayla Berridge noticed that a pile of mail had formed in the woman's mailbox over the course of a few days.
Berridge felt that something wasn't right and called the police, asking them to perform a welfare check on the woman, who is in her 80s.
"I just had a gut feeling and wanted to make sure," Berridge told WCVB. "Most people put a hold in if they're not there, so when people pick up their mail every day, you start to notice their habits."
When officers arrived, they found the woman on the floor underneath several items that had fallen on top of her. Officials said that she had been on the floor for at least three days.
The woman was taken to the hospital, where she was treated for dehydration and hypothermia. She is expected to make a full recovery.
Officials praised Berridge for contacting the police when she felt something was wrong.
"We just think it's indicative of a small town and the mail carriers and the residents knowing each other and realizing something might not be right and reaching out to the proper authorities," Newmarket police Lt. Wayne Stevens told the news station.