Despite a warning from the National Weather Service to avoid the treacherous St. Louis snowstorm, dedicated United States Postal Service mail carrier Deanna Chatman decided to venture out on December 1st. Chatman’s intuition led her to deliver more than just mail that day, ultimately performing a life-saving miracle.
Chatman told KCEN, “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.”
While on her route in a Maryland Heights subdivision, she noticed an elderly person inside their garage, waving.
“I stopped and asked, ‘Do you need help?'” Chatman said.
Chatman called 911 when the woman, who asked not to be named, confirmed she needed help. She thought she had broken her hip or leg and couldn’t stand up. Chatman didn’t know the woman, who is usually healthy, lives alone, and still drives, had fallen near her mailbox.
She then crawled to the garage to try and open the door. Chatman stayed with her until the ambulance arrived 20 minutes later.
The 96-year-old woman told Chatman she was trying to put outgoing mail in her mailbox when asked why she was outside. She had been waiting for three hours without a coat for help, in pain, when Chatman found her.
According to the woman’s granddaughter, the older woman shouted first when she heard the snowplow and then again when she heard her neighbors arrive.
“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.”
“She must have slipped on her driveway because she didn’t have any shoes on,” Chatman said. “She just had on some pants and a shirt. No socks or anything.”
The 96-year-old woman was unable to enter her house due to the steps, according to her granddaughter. Although she did not have her phone, the woman tried to call for help and managed to open the house door slightly for warmth while she waited.
“(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,” the granddaughter said emotionally upon realizing that her grandmother had been lying in the garage for hours.
Chatman had never encountered such a serious problem in her six years at USPS.
“I’m blessed that I got a chance to save someone’s life,” she said.
The 96-year-old’s granddaughter later suggested that for the mail carrier, this heroic act was likely just part of her normal day.
“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.”
“Ms. Chatman 100% saved her life because it was so cold. By the time the ambulance had gotten there, they couldn’t get a temperature on her because she was so cold. … There are no words to express how grateful we are for her,” the granddaughter added.
The 96-year-old woman is currently still hospitalized after the traumatic fall, an event that adds to her long life story, which includes surviving two pandemics, multiple wars, and the loss of her husband.
Tears streamed down Chatman’s face; she hadn’t realized the woman was freezing to death with a partially shattered pelvis.
“She has had surgery, and you wouldn’t even know that it happened, which is just wild at her age,” her granddaughter said.
She is expected to be discharged from the hospital and undergo rehabilitation soon.
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Meanwhile, because Chatman’s routes are monitored to prevent USPS workers from remaining stationary for extended periods, she contacted another carrier while waiting with the older adult. She informed them of her situation and the reason for the delay. After the ambulance arrived, she resumed her route.
Upon returning to the post office, Chatman looked for her supervisor to recount the incident, but was unable to find her.
However, days after her heroic rescue, Chatman’s supervisor from her December 1st route called her. The supervisor told Chatman, “You did an awesome job.”
The supervisor added that the woman’s granddaughter confirmed the importance of Chatman’s quick thinking, saying, “Her granddaughter said if you hadn’t called the ambulance, she wouldn’t have made it.”
For her heroism, Chatman received recognition, including balloons and flowers, from her manager and the USPS.
“Deanna’s actions made a real difference that day, and we couldn’t be more proud of her conduct and dedication,” said USPS Strategic Communications Specialist Tara Jarrett. “We are excited for her to receive her Postmaster General Award, which recognizes exceptional heroism that reflects positively on the USPS.”
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