MERRIFIELD, VA — On Tuesday December 15, rural carrier Gustavo Galindo was delivering mail in the Fairfax Station area when he discovered an elderly customer suffering from injuries and exposure. It appears the residential customer fell sometime Monday while retrieving her mail. The fall caused incapacitating injuries. When Galindo discovered the customer, she had been exposed to outside air temperatures for nearly 24 hours.

Galindo took immediate action to assist the customer. After calling 911 emergency services, he covered the victim with a blanket and cleared a path to the porch for emergency responders.

“This was an unfortunate accident but it is reassuring to know that our carriers are in the neighborhood, always willing to assist customers when an emergency arises,” said Postmaster Jamie Congleton. “

Each year, postal employees around the country risk their own safety to save the lives of customers. In 2009, the Postal Service recognized more than 300 employee heroes.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 26th in the 2008 Fortune 500.