USPS worker pinned under mail truck after Massachusetts crash lucky to be alive, fire chief says
First responders say a United States Postal Service worker is lucky to be a live after a crash in Medway Friday that left her trapped under her mail truck.
Shortly before 11:20 a.m., police say a red pickup truck driving along Main Street struck the postal truck from behind. The mail carrier inside the postal truck was leaning out to deliver mail at the time.
The crash sent the truck rolling into the mulch of a nearby front lawn.
The mail carrier ended up with her body half inside the truck and half out, according to Fire Chief Michael Fasolino. Her body was trapped under the weight of the truck.
Medway mail truck crash
Several witnesses from nearby homes and cars called 911 and rushed to help. A nurse who witnessed the crash comforted the driver as they waited for first responders to arrive.
"You keep squeezing my hand," the nurse can be heard saying in a video taken by a witness.
"I'm going to stabilize you first which means we're going to make sure you're safe before I actually take the truck off," she added.
She then kept the woman awake and distracted by asking about her family, pets, and medical history.
The driver frantically yelled to bystanders, "I don't even know what happened!"
At one point, witnesses considered trying to lift the truck off of the trapped victim, but a police officer on scene discouraged them because the move could cause further damage.
"That was just my first instinct was to help," said Robert Smith, who lives next door and called 911. "Just a typical human thing to do."
The fire chief said the postal worker should "play the lottery" because she's so lucky with how the scary situation played out.
"It was a dicey extrication," Fasolino said.
USPS worker lucky to be alive
Firefighters used air bags to lift the mail truck and remove the woman.
"It looked very bad," Medway Police Chief Bill Kingsbury said. "But the fact that they [were in] mulch, and it was a soft bed, I think it prevented something far worse from happening because if it was a hard surface, she probably would not have survived."
The woman was flown by medical helicopter to UMass Memorial in Worcester. The mail inside her truck was taken by USPS to be redistributed and delivered.
The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital as well. The crash is under investigation and police said no charges have been filed at this point.
Neighbors said Main Street is extremely busy and people tend to speed. Medway Police say speed did not appear to be a factor in this crash.
A spokesperson for USPS released a statement following the crash.
"We appreciate the quick actions of emergency responders for coming to the aid of our carrier involved in a vehicle accident today. Due to privacy concerns, the Postal Service does not discuss employee medical or health conditions," the statement said.
