Dog attacks like the one that took the life of a mail carrier in Florida are a common hazard of the job, with thousands of postal workers attacked every year, according to the United States Postal Service.
A 61-year-old postal carrier died after being attacked by five dogs in rural northern Florida over the weekend, sheriff’s officials said. Last year the state ranked among the top 10 for such attacks, with more than 5,400 postal workers across the US victimized in 2021 alone, according to data released by the USPS in June.
The postal worker who was killed, Pamela Jane Rock of Melrose, was in the Interlachen Lakes Estates area on Sunday after her vehicle broke down, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
The assault on Rock was especially gruesome, with authorities not ruling out criminal charges against the owner of the dogs.