Alert mail carrier directs police to distressed elderly man

Al Alix noticed main piling up in the man’s mailbox

By Patrick Luce
Posted 7/21/16

An alert mail carrier in Bristol jumped to action when he saw something unusual, and is being credited with helping an elderly man with a medical condition.

Mail carrier Al Alix was walking his …

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Alert mail carrier directs police to distressed elderly man

Al Alix noticed main piling up in the man’s mailbox

Posted

An alert mail carrier in Bristol jumped to action when he saw something unusual, and is being credited with helping an elderly man with a medical condition.

Mail carrier Al Alix was walking his usual route Monday morning when he noticed one of the mailboxes on his route was stuffed with mail, the July 14 edition of the Bristol Phoenix right on top.

“People are passionate about their Phoenix,” Mr. Alix said of the paper he delivered to the Verndale Circle home last Thursday. “They call the post office if they don’t get it. I thought, if there’s a Phoenix there, there’s something wrong.”

Mr. Alix did a little investigating, noticing the man’s car was in the driveway and the windows were open. He reached in, finding the seats wet from the heavy rain that fell on Bristol last Friday, and a small spider web forming on the passenger seat.

Sensing a problem, Mr. Alix immediately called Bristol Police, who sent two officers for a well-being check. The officers found the man inside the home suffering from an unspecified medical condition. He was taken to the hospital, treated and released, and is now doing well, according to Bristol Police Capt. Brian Burke.

“The responding officer noted in his report that the mail carrier’s notification had a direct, positive effect on treating the male subject,” Capt. Burke said.

While receiving credit from the police, Mr. Alix is quick to give it back to them, praising the police dispatcher and officers who responded immediately to his call. He said getting to know the customers along his route and noticing when something is off is just a part of the job.

“My customers take care of me, so I appreciate being able to help one of them out,” Mr. Alix said. “I said, oh that’s a bad sign. I just a pit in my stomach. I was expecting the worst but hoping for the best. I’m just really glad it worked out.”

Bristol Post Office, Bristol Police

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