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A paperboy saved the life of a pensioner who had been lying on the floor of her Kent home for three days after he spotted her newspaper hadn’t been read.
Robert Purt, 18, spotted the paper poking out of the pensioner’s letterbox in Birchington, near Margate, a day after he had delivered it.
Concerned, he called up McColl’s newsagent, where he worked, and and they called Kent Police to carry out a welfare check.
Officers arrived and rushed the pensioner to hospital – where she is expected to make a full recovery.
Having been praised by the 88-year-old pensioner’s family, the humble teenager said: ‘It just felt like the right thing to do.’
His quick-thinking actions come in stark contrast to shocking footage taken last week of a Royal Mail worker refusing to pick up a fallen pensioner.
Eagle-eyed paperboy Robert Purt, 18, saved a pensioner’s life after noticing she had left her newspaper and post in her letterbox. Police were called to her home in Birchington, Kent, where they discovered she had been lying on the floor for three days after a fall
Widow Patricia Stewart fell down her front steps in Bainsford, near Falkirk when she went to collect a parcel and shouted to the postman to help – but he told her he was ‘knackered’ and walked off.
The callous incident was recorded last Wednesday by a neighbour’s Ring doorbell camera. Footage shows the postman saying: ‘I can’t help you pal. I’m knackered. Absolutely knackered.’
But the far more helpful Mr Purt, a paperboy of four years, said he acted quickly to help the Kent pensioner, as he ‘had a feeling something was wrong.’
He added: ‘I contacted my colleague on duty. I had a concern as I knew it was an older lady who lived there on her own. I felt a welfare check would be a good idea.
‘My colleague called 101 to get the police to do this check, while I carried on with my round.
‘I had a call for the shop to let me know the police had done a check and the lady was okay.
‘The police had been in contact to give the shop an update and to say thank you for what I had done.’
Mr Purt, who is also a carer for his mother, Sam (pictured together) remains unphased after saving the 88-year-old woman’s life, saying: ‘It just felt like the right thing to do’
The family of the pensioner – who doesn’t want to be named – put out a Facebook appeal to try and track down Mr Purt, known as Bob to his friends, and say thank you.
Bob’s proud mother Sam, 46, also posted on social media praising her son and urging others to keep an eye out for elderly neighbours.
Bob, of Birchington, added: ‘The lady had spent three days stuck on a wooden floor in the cold weather we had had.
‘My mum was informed that she was doing well in hospital and would be getting help with physio to help her be mobile again.
‘The lady’s family were incredibly grateful that I had noticed there was something not right and made the call.
‘This lady is alive and will get all the help she needs.’
Mr Purt, who is also a carer to his mother as she has fibromyalgia, added : ‘I know lots of people are proud of what I have done but for me it just felt like the right thing to do.
‘I understand more now how this could have been such a different story, with all that is going on in the world right now people need to just keep an eye out.
‘There are lots of people who live alone in our area and if everyone just keeps an eye out even on the small things like the post has not been picked up, or a paper more people would be found and helped quicker.
‘A two second call to the shop you work for or the police if you are worried could save so many lives at any one time.’
The pensioner is now set to leave the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.
Mr Purt’s mother added: ‘I’m so proud of Bob. He is my carer and doesn’t think he’s done anything special, but he helped save her life.
‘He is just happy the lady is alive and safe and is understanding that what he sees as a small thing has a bigger picture to the world around us.’
The pensioner’s niece – who also asked not to be named – said: ‘Robert’s actions certainly got my aunt help earlier than I would have. We are very grateful.
‘He’s a smart fella. Being on a wooden floor for three days has affected her mobility.
‘But she’s alive, and for that, we are grateful.’
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