Mail Carrier Glad She Followed Her 'Gut Feeling' at One Home

Kayla Berridge credited with saving elderly NH woman after noticing overflowing mailbox
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 29, 2022 10:00 AM CST
Observant Mail Carrier Saves Homeowner's Life
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/Angel Ramirez)

Kayla Berridge is the kind of carrier you want delivering your mail: one who makes sure you get what you're supposed to, as well as who listens to that nagging voice in their head when something doesn't seem right. WMUR reports that's exactly what Berridge did as she was walking her regular 9-mile route on Thursday in Newmarket, NH—where one residence seemed somewhat irregular, as the mail that had previously been delivered over the course of four days hadn't yet been brought inside.

Berridge tells CNN she sometimes chatted with the homeowner, a woman in her 80s, and that she became concerned when she saw all that mail piled up. "I just had a gut feeling" something was wrong, she tells WMUR. "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." Berridge called the cops to request a wellness check, and it's a good thing she did.

Per the Newmarket Police Department, the first police officer on the scene "could hear the elderly female inside the residence yelling for help." When cops were able to gain entry to the home, they found the woman trapped on the bedroom floor after some items had fallen on her. They believe she'd tried to grab her bed for support, causing the items on the bed to fall onto her, and that she'd been stuck on the floor for at least three days. Authorities say the homeowner was treated at a local hospital for dehydration and hypothermia and should be OK. "Postal employee is a hero," the police department noted. (More uplifting news stories.)

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