When Stephanie Bailey hadn’t seen her 80 year old neighbor in a few days, she became concerned. They saw each other daily, and had a system worked out in case of emergency: if Bailey didn’t see the elderly woman’s porch light on, she would call to check if her neighbor was okay. The neighbor had not answered her phone, and when Bailey sent her son to see if the woman’s dog had been fed, he found that it hadn’t. So Bailey grew concerned and called Loma Linda, California police to perform a wellness check.
The deputy received no response knocking at the door, so he moved to check a window. When he knocked on the window, he heard a light knocking back and the faint sound of someone’s voice. Concerned, the deputy entered the home through the window and found the senior woman trapped between her bed and the wall. The sheriff reports that a cinder block that had been supporting her box spring had fallen on her head, perhaps when she tried to move the bed. She was taken to the hospital to treat the head injury as well as dehydration.
The elderly woman’s family has thanked Bailey for her life-saving actions; Bailey just wants others to know that looking out for each other is neighborly, not nosy.
“Just be aware of who lives around you,” she said. “Just be aware of their comings and goings. You don’t have to scrutinize your neighbor — just be aware of who is living around you.”
