A North Carolina USPS mail carrier says she was “penalized” because she left her truck and went to the hospital after experiencing a medical crisis on the job, according to a report. 

In an interview with WBTV, Marshun Brooks recalled delivering mail on her usual route in Charlotte on Nov. 20 when she started having chest pains and had difficulty breathing. 

Prior to calling 911, Brooks notified her managers of the emergency via the scanner but didn’t receive a response. In the message, she said she included her location. 

According to the report, after hours in the hospital, she returned to her mail station to check her truck keys. When she saw her supervisor sitting at the desk, she asked if they got her message. 

Brooks told the outlet her supervisor “went to her work computer, and her eyes just start bulging like ‘Oh my god.’ And she asked me where’s the postal vehicle? And I was like, ‘It’s in the same location that I sent in a text message.’ I said, you know, ‘This is ridiculous. I had a medical emergency and you all didn’t do anything about it.”

When Brooks went back to work days later with medical documentation, she was informed by a supervisor that she was suspended without pay due to “abandoning her route.” She called the decision “unfair” and “inhumane.”

Brooks argued she followed protocol and communicated with her managers.

“When a carrier is having a medical emergency while delivering mail, they are trained to seek medical attention immediately, which can be done by going to a nearby emergency room or calling 911,” a spokesperson told the outlet. 

After the news station pressed USPS about Brooks’ suspension, Brooks received a letter saying she could go back to work on Dec. 19. However, the document did not address the punishment and back pay. 

“They don’t want to take no accountability,” Brooks said to WBTV.