Jonathan Rash, a letter carrier, was delivering mail on a rainy December day in Bluefield, WV, when he heard a dog barking and someone faintly crying out for help.
Rash followed the sounds until he found an 88-year-old customer on the ground beside her home with her pet steadfastly by her side.
The woman, who had fallen a half-hour earlier while walking her canine companion, was in excruciating pain, so the Postal Service employee immediately called 911, secured the dog inside the residence, contacted a family member, and comforted her until emergency responders arrived.
She was treated for a broken hip and is recovering from the incident.
“Considering the lateness of the day, the location of the fall, the weather, and the customer’s age and injuries, I have no doubt that Jonathan saved her life,” said Amy Law, Bluefield’s postmaster.