Florida mail carrier dies after being attacked by dogs when truck broke down in neighborhood
INTERLACHEN, Fla. - A postal carrier has died, one day after Florida deputies say five dogs mauled her when her truck broke down in a neighborhood.
Putnam County Sheriff's deputies found the 61-year-old woman on the ground when they arrived at the scene in Interlachen Lake Estates on Sunday afternoon, sheriff's officials said in a Facebook post. They also found the dogs inside a fence at a nearby residence.
A nearby resident told deputies they heard the woman screaming for help and saw five dogs attacking her. Several neighbors tried pulling the dogs off the woman and one shot a gun into the air to scare the dogs away, the report said.
Deputies started first aid on the woman, who was severely bleeding. They applied tourniquets until a rescue unit arrived and took the woman to a hospital, officials said.
The woman was then flown to a trauma center in Gainesville in critical condition. According to Action News Jax, the U.S. Postal Service released a statement on Monday, confirming the worker succumbed to her injuries: "A postal family member lost her life in a dog bite attack. The U.S. Postal Service is deeply saddened at the loss of our employee. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and her co-workers at this time."
The county's animal control unit took custody of the dogs.
"Our hearts are with the victim and her family as they navigate through this tragic event," Putnam County Sheriff H.D. ‘Gator’ DeLoach said in a statement. "It is imperative that dog owners take responsibility in keeping their animals in a secured location for their safety and those around."
An investigation is continuing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.