Alert carrier saves a life in Conover

CONOVER, NC — Thanks to the alertness of a letter carrier in Conover, a customer is still alive today.

While delivering mail one day recently in an apartment complex in Conover, Rural Letter Carrier Riley Smith noticed the mail hadn’t been picked up by one of his customers for several days – it had piled up leaving little room for more. Smith notified the on-site manager of his finding; the manager went to the apartment to find the man sick in bed, and called emergency services immediately.

Smith continued on and completed his route, and when he returned to the Conover Post Office, Postmaster Sharon Lippard told him of a telephone call she received earlier. “It was the manager,” said Lippard. “She told me if Mr. Smith had not alerted her, the man would have died.” He eventually recovered from his illness and returned home.

“Looking out for his fellow man and woman is just a small part of Mr. Smith does for the Postal Service on a daily basis,” said Lippard. “He’s an excellent carrier and deserves to be rewarded for his efforts. We are very proud of him.”