An observant New Hampshire mail carrier is being lauded as a hero for helping to save an elderly woman’s life after noticing she had not retrieved her mail in days.

Kayla Berridge, who works for the United States Postal Service (USPS), was making deliveries on her nine-mile route in Newmarket on Thursday when she noticed mail piling up at the residence of a woman in her 80s, WMUR reports. Newmarket police said Berridge is “familiar” with the woman. The postmaster called the police department and requested a welfare check at the residence.

“I just had a gut feeling and wanted to make sure,” said Berridge. “Most people put a hold in if they’re not there, so when people pick up their mail every day, you start to notice their habits.”

Detective Wedgeworth was the first to arrive at the apartment and could hear cries for help from inside, the Newmarket Police Department (NPD) said in a release. Officer McLoughlin was the second to arrive and helped Wedgeworth gain entry to the home.

“Once inside the residence officers discovered the elderly subject was trapped under items that had fallen on her inside the bedroom,” the NPD said. “It was determined that she had been trapped on the floor for at least 3 days and possibly longer.”

The items included frames and artwork, CNN reports. Police believe they were situated on her bed, and once she grabbed hold of her bed for support, the items fell on top of her.

The woman was suffering from hypothermia and dehydration, and Newmarket Fire and Rescue transported her to Exeter hospital, according to WMUR. She is expected to be okay.

Lt. Wayne Stevens with the NPD praised Berridge for her observance.

“We just think it’s indicative of a small town and the mail carriers and the residents knowing each other and realizing something might not be right and reaching out to the proper authorities,” he said, per WMUR. 

The NPD called Berridge a “hero” in their release. 

“It is this department’s belief that Kayla’s knowledge of the people on her route as well as her attentiveness saved the life of this resident,” the department said.