newspaper carrier saves eldery coupleThe Internet may be slowly killing the newspaper, but thankfully it hasn't succeeded yet or we wouldn't have this feel-good story of the day.

A newspaper carrier in Wisconsin named Sylvester Phillips noticed that something wasn't quite right at the house of two of his customers -- elderly siblings both in their 70s. In addition to the fact that their daily newspapers had been piling up, he observed that their lights had been on and their front door open for days on end. Troubled by these odd occurrences, he notified his superior, who in turn called police. When the cops went to investigate the house, you'll never guess what they found ...

The elderly brother and sister were alive but they had been trapped in their house for five or six days! Shirley Washa, 75, had fallen on the kitchen floor and couldn't get up; her brother, Darrell Washa, 77, had been stuck, pinned between his walker and a dresser. Both were immediately taken to the hospital (where Shirley is reportedly in critical condition, and Darrell is in fair condition).

If Phillips and the police hadn't discovered these two in time, it's likely this ending would have been much more tragic. It just goes to show that no matter how big and powerful the Internet may be, newspapers -- and newspaper carriers -- still play an important part of people's lives. The Washas' next door neighbor explained it better than I can:

It's nice that somebody like that comes by ... Sometimes I get mad at my paper, I say, "I don't think I'm going to get the paper anymore." But I guess I just changed my mind. He's worth having around.

In our crazy busy lives filled with technology, smartphones, texting, and emails, it's nice to know that a little personal interaction -- like noticing that something is off about your neighbor's house -- still goes a long, long way.

 

Image via YouTube