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NE Nice: Postal worker helps disabled man in Papillion

Posted at 4:27 PM, Oct 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-25 10:27:12-04

A rural carrier in Papillion was honored by the Post Office Tuesday morning for helping a disabled older man.

For a decade, Beth Terrebonne has worked as a postal worker in Papillion. In that time, she's gotten to know Jim Harless.

Over the summer, while doing her route, Terrebonne saw Harless had fallen out of his wheelchair. She ran over to help - and Harless was okay - but he was too big for her to lift.

He told her to go back to work and he would wait for family.

"I said absolutely not," Terrebonne said. "I will not leave you here. There's no way I'm leaving you here on the ground. He didn't have his cellphone on him. His wife wasn't home. He was by himself. So I told him, 'No I'm not leaving you here.'"

For her thoughtfulness, Terrebonne was recognized by her colleagues at a ceremony at the post office.

A handful of other employees were recognized as well. Steve Shea, Terri Safarik, Vicki Krayneski, Pailine Conrad and Jeff Diederich were also recognized for helping tractor-trailer driver, Merle Oltmans.

Oltmans was driving a load of Priority Express Mail. He was having a medical episode and not remembering where he was supposed to stop next. He was taken to the hospital with help from the other workers.