Letter Carrier Joe Dawson was delivering mail recently in a Jacksonville, FL, neighborhood, exchanging pleasantries with a longtime resident at the man’s mailbox, when a toddler nearby took off toward trouble.
The child, who had been walking on the residential street with an adult, bolted onto a busy road — known for a blind curve, speeding drivers and numerous accidents — and continued running in the middle of a traffic lane.
Fearing that tragedy could strike at any second, the resident rushed to the road to flag down any approaching vehicles, while Dawson sprinted to reach the toddler and swoop up the child to safety on the sidewalk.
The resident later mailed a letter to the local Postmaster to commend Dawson for his bravery and quick thinking.
As the incident unfolded, “I could not believe my eyes,” the man wrote.
“The next day, I spoke with a former sheriff’s officer who’s familiar with that road, and he agreed with me that the letter carrier was heroic in rescuing the toddler from harm’s way.”