A substitute United State Postal Service mail carrier is recovering at Memorial Hospital after she was the victim of a dog attack last week in the Nevils area.
According to a Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office incident report, a woman said she was on the phone with the mail carrier about 6:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19 as the carrier was dropping off a package at a residence on Anderson Road. She said the carrier told her she had never been to the residence before.
The mail carrier told the woman two dogs started to attack her after she left the package at the door. The woman said she drove to the residence and saw the carrier being attacked. She said she beeped her horn several times, but the dogs would not stop. The woman said she then called 911 for help.
Sheriff’s Deputy Carvin Burnett and Cpl. Austin Williams responded to the scene. In the incident report, Burnett said he saw the carrier on the floor of the garage with both dogs, described as pit bulls, standing by her.
Burnett and Williams grabbed what Burnett called in the report “less-lethal shotguns” and as they made their way to the house, one of the dogs approached them. Williams fired and hit the dog in the side, which caused both dogs to run away.
Bulloch County EMS arrived on the scene and started treating the victim. She was transported and flown by helicopter to Memorial Hospital in Savannah. According to reports, the 36-year-old carrier suffered severe bite injuries to her arms and legs that required surgery. She was still at Memorial as of Wednesday afternoon.
Burnett said the homeowner was interviewed and told them the dogs had never bitten anyone before and that they were fully vaccinated. The owner said he has a box where delivery drivers can leave packages and not have contact with the dogs.
In the report, Burnett said the scene was turned over to Bulloch County Animal Services after speaking with the homeowner.
Bulloch County Public Safety oversees Animal Services and Director Ted Wynn said Animal Control officers confirmed the dogs were fully up to date on their vaccines and had no previous history of biting. The dogs were left with the homeowner.
“It is a tragedy what happened and we pray for the carrier’s recovery,” Wynn said.
It is not known how long the substitute carrier has worked with the USPS. In a released statement about the incident, the Postal Service said:
“Our carriers are trained to use their mail satchel as the first line of defense, which can be wielded like a soft shield, and they are equipped to carry a pepper spray. If a loose dog is known to be on the carrier’s delivery route, the address can be programmed into their delivery scanner, and an alert will pop up when they approach that area to warn them.”
On the Postal Service website, a substitute carrier is called a “Rural Carrier Associate.” The position is described as a “continuous, part-time job … when regular carriers have scheduled days off or take vacation days.” In most cases, they use their own vehicle while delivering mail. They receive training just like a full-time postal worker would, according to the website.