Who is Andrew Russell? USPS mailman rescues girl, 6, trapped in parked car after mother overdosed
Andrew Russell, a mailman from Colorado, saved a six-year-old girl who was trapped inside a parked car. The mail carrier is being hailed as a hero after the girl's mother overdosed behind the wheel of the car. On July 16, as Russell, a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service (USPS), walked his regular mail route, he heard a girl screaming.
Russell told KDVR, "I noticed a car was pulled off on the side of the road. There was a funny noise, almost like an engine was revving, and then I heard a child's voice that sounded pretty hysterical. So, the second I heard that I just immediately ran over." He claimed he was able to free the girl from the car and contacted 911 right away. "She was saying, like, 'my mommy's dead,'" Russell stated. "Her mommy wasn't moving. So, of course, the child was obviously very freaked out."
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Russell claimed that he reacted instantly when he heard the child's cries. Russell told KDVR, "I have a little girl of my own, so it definitely hit a chord that way. She said thank you a couple times and yeah, it meant the world to me that she was just OK."
The mother of the girl, Ashlee Figgers, 25, allegedly attempted to drive to a relative's house after taking a Fentanyl pill, according to the Wheat Ridge Police Department. Joanna Small, a public information officer for the Wheat Ridge Police Department, told People, "As she was driving, she got tired and pulled to the side of the road where she essentially passed out."
"I don't know if she couldn't get out of the car or if she was just terrified, but she knew she didn't know what to do," Small told. "She thought her mom was dead. So, she spotted the mail carrier and that's why she yelled for help."
Ashlee Figgers was awake when the authorities came, according to Small. The mother was detained on suspicion of drugged driving, in possession of a controlled substance, and child abuse. "We hope she gets better. She is not a lost cause. Despite the fact she is being charged with child abuse, we know she loves her daughter," Small stated. "She made a terrible decision that could have been so much worse for her daughter. There is help for her, there are resources for her, and we hope she takes advantage of them. She can turn her life around."
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Small claimed that the child is residing with family's relatives and that Russell will always be appreciated by the department. "We are a suburb of Denver. It's a very tight knit community. Very supportive community. If it wasn't for people like him, we don't know what would have happened," Small said.
"The girl is safe, and her mom didn't overdose to the point she couldn't be revived. We are incredibly grateful for his actions," Small remarked. Until July 21, Thursday, it is unknown whether Figgers seemed to have a lawyer or will be facing criminal charges.