Deanna Chatman was recognized for her heroism after saving a woman’s life during a snowstorm.
A routine mail route turned critical when a USPS carrier found a 96-year-old woman who had fallen outside in the freezing cold and couldn’t get up.
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — On Dec. 1 in St. Louis, over three inches of snow blanketed the region and many people stayed home. It was the second round of snow in three days and over 6 inches of snow was on the ground from the first snowfall just hours before, according to the National Weather Service.
But one United States Postal Service mail carrier decided to deliver mail and that decisi on ultimately saved a stranger’s life.
“It was snowing,” Deanna Chatman said. “And (USPS) told us ‘Don’t go out and deliver mail if you don’t feel safe,’ but something told me just to go.”
As she was in the middle of her route in a Maryland Heights subdivision, she saw an older adult waving her hand from inside her garage doorway.
“I stopped and asked, ‘Do you need help?’” Chatman said.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, replied yes and asked her to call 911 because, unable to stand, she thought she had broken her hip or leg. Chatman made the call.
Little did Chatman know, the woman — who lives alone, is in good health and still drives — fell by the mailbox at the end of her driveway and crawled up to the garage and tried to open her door.
Chatman waited for the ambulance to arrive, which was a 20-minute wait.
While they waited, Chatman learned the woman was 96-years-old, in a little pain, and had been waiting for three hours without a coat for someone to come by so she could ask for help.
When Chatman asked the woman what she was doing outside, the 96-year-old woman told her that she was trying to put outgoing mail in her mailbox.
The older woman yelled when she heard the snowplow and then again when she heard her neighbors, her granddaughter said.
“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’s granddaughter said she couldn’t get into her house because of the steps. She said her grandmother told her she was trying to yell for help, but she didn’t have her phone. However, she was able to open the door to the house to feel some warmth as she waited for help.
Her pants were covered in mud and scratched up because she was trying to drag her legs. They noticed those details when she arrived at the hospital, her granddaughter said.
A flood of emotions came over her granddaughter when she realized how her grandmother had been lying in that garage for hours.
“(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.”
Small Act, Big Impact
In Chatman’s six years at USPS, she said she has never stumbled across such a dire situation.
“I’m blessed that I got a chance to save someone’s life,” she said.
Chatman is monitored on her routes to ensure that USPS workers are not sitting in one place for too long, so she called another carrier while she waited with the older adult and let them know why she had not moved. When the ambulance arrived, she was able to proceed with her route.
When Chatman returned to the post office, she intended to tell her supervisor what happened, but she was unable to locate her.
The 96-year-old’s granddaughter said it was probably just another day for her.
“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.”
Chatman said she covers a different area each day, but she got a call a few days later from the supervisor she had on Dec. 1.
“You did an awesome job,” Chatman said the supervisor told her. “Her granddaughter said if you hadn’t called the ambulance, she wouldn’t have made it.”
Chatman reacted with tears, not realizing that the woman’s pelvis had partially shattered and she was freezing to death.
‘It was a blessing that I was there to help her, and she(her supervisor) was like “Yes, it was Chatman.’”
Chatman was recognized by her manager and USPS for her heroism with balloons and flowers.
“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.”
“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 said.
The 96-year-old woman has been in the hospital since the fall. She has been sharing all that she has overcome, like two pandemics, multiple wars and the death of her husband. The traumatic fall is now added to her impressive list.
“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.
The family’s gratitude is immeasurable, and Chatman reminds us that ordinary work can lead to extraordinary moments.
Source: www.12news.com