Midstate mail carrier turns into a life-saver for one older woman

(Elizabethville, Dauphin County) — In rural areas, mail carriers are the link to the community for some. But one postal worker in upper Dauphin County was a life-saver too.

Chantel Bouchard delivers to 500 homes on her 52-mile route that’s usually quiet.

But one day in January, she thought she heard cries for help.

Indeed, Jean Klinger had fallen in the ice and snow, and was laying in the cold.

Bouchard immediately called Klinger’s daughter, retrieved a blanket from her house, and waited with her for an ambulance.

She hesitates to call herself a life-saver, but she knows the reality of the situation.

“If no one would’ve heard her, for as cold as it was, she might have gotten hypothermia maybe in time, because she said she was getting pretty cold,” says Bouchard.

The news of Bouchard’s actions only came out after Klinger’s daughter called the Elizabethville postmaster to thank Bouchard.

Up until that point, Bouchard had told only one coworker.

As for Jean Klinger, she recovered in a rehab facility, and is back at home. 

And she still gets a wave and hello from Bouchard on her route six days a week.

“I have grandparents, I have parents, that you would hope someone would stop and help anyone in need. I’m just glad I was able to help her and she can enjoy her family and her family can also enjoy her,” Bouchard adds.