Community Chat

[aj1980]

A postal worker collapsed and died while on his route in Dallas amid extreme heat, according to the U.S. Postal Service.

Eugene Gates Jr., 66, had been a letter carrier for the USPS for nearly 40 years and had set out for work at the Lakewood Postal Station in Dallas Tuesday morning. Around 4 p.m. CDT, Gate's wife received a call that her husband had been rushed to the hospital where he later died, she told local news outlet FOX 4.

Gates had collapsed in a front yard amid the intense heat before the homeowner came outside to perform CPR, Gates' family said.

Spoiler

[meallen616]

I heard this on the news, so sad,

[PhilaLady1]

So sorry to learn about this.  Just searched the weather in Dallas and it shows 97.  Wow!

[Mindy D]

I feel so bad for this poor man and his family and for the lady that tried to save him. This is tragic.

[hckynutjohn]

@aj1980 

It is a sad story. Who diagnosed the heat as being his cause of death? 

I worked in a factory for over 30 years, where a cool day was above 90°. Hot days our thermometers only went to 120°, and were pegged there much of the day/ night, depending on the shift I was working. Saw many pass out, but nobody died. Most were caused by dehydration, not by the heat itself.

Everyone has to be aware of the dangers of high heat and humidity. The combo of both makes the human body harder to cool because of the lack of evaporation. 

Condolences to his wife and loved ones. 🙏

hckynut(john)🥅🏒 🇺🇸

[Pearlee]

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@hckynutjohn wrote:

@aj1980 

It is a sad story. Who diagnosed the heat as being his cause of death? 

I worked in a factory for over 30 years, where a cool day was above 90°. Hot days our thermometers only went to 120°, and were pegged there much of the day/ night, depending on the shift I was working. Saw many pass out, but nobody died. Most were caused by dehydration, not by the heat itself.

Everyone has to be aware of the dangers of high heat and humidity. The combo of both makes the human body harder to cool because of the lack of evaporation. 

Condolences to his wife and loved ones. 🙏

hckynut(john)🥅🏒 🇺🇸

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@hckynutjohn  Well each person is different. Just because nobody died from the heat under your conditions, which were different from the mail carrier's who was also up there in age, doesn't mean people don't die from the heat. Nice story but I don't think the two situations are comparable.

[patbz]

I lived in Mojave Desert for 22 yrs; in the Summer it reached over 110 ( sometimes for several days). Most people in that environment are very careful ( hats, sunscreen, hydration, etc). Many who routinely worked outdoors would use cooling towels,  cool danas and so forth.  Unfortunately as temperature norms rise we must all be more careful.

[Desert Lily]

Excessive heat is the #1 weather event to cause death.

[Trailrun23]

I posted about this earlier this week. His wife is now dealing with the USPS trying to get a response. Crickets. They need to start earlier in the morning when it is this hot....they did that but soon went back to later...now after someone dies, they decide to have workers start earlier. The USPS worker who died loved his mail delivery job so much, he used to get up at 3:30 am and get to work and just sit in his chair until his shift started. Breaks my heart this dear man lost his life this way. The USPS won't even confirm the heat played a part in his death, awaiting an autopsy.

[San Antonio Gal]

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@Trailrun23 wrote:

I posted about this earlier this week. His wife is now dealing with the USPS trying to get a response. Crickets. They need to start earlier in the morning when it is this hot....they did that but soon went back to later...now after someone dies, they decide to have workers start earlier. The USPS worker who died loved his mail delivery job so much, he used to get up at 3:30 am and get to work and just sit in his chair until his shift started. Breaks my heart this dear man lost his life this way. The USPS won't even confirm the heat played a part in his death, awaiting an autopsy.

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So tragic and young at 66.  40 years on his job is quite an accomplishment too.  So sorry this has happened.