Umeshkumar Thakkar, a 58-year-old rural mail carrier, passed away on Monday while delivering mail in Little Elm, a suburb of Dallas, Texas, amid a heat advisory and temperatures exceeding triple digits. He had been employed by the United States Postal Service (USPS) since 2022. His family and friends conducted a funeral service for him on Thursday afternoon.
OSHA launches investigation as USPS issues statement
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A 911 call was received at approximately 2 p.m.. Firefighters performed CPR, but Thakkar was declared dead at the scene.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has commenced an inquiry into the death, while the U.S. Postal Service is undertaking its own evaluation. OSHA investigators might review workplace conditions, speak with employees, and identify any potential safety violations.
The USPS stated that it is “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of a postal family member” and is providing grief counseling to staff at the Little Elm Main Post Office while the investigation is ongoing.
Details
On Monday, temperatures climbed to 102 degrees (39 C) and reached 108 degrees (42 C) on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Surveillance video indicates that Thakkar’s postal vehicle was stationary near Thornhill Lane and Graystone Drive, with its hazard lights flashing at roughly 12:20 p.m. Neighbor Ximena Ayala recounted witnessing fire trucks, about five patrol cars, and a person seemingly inspecting the mail vehicle while appearing distressed on the phone, according to Fox 4.
Manny Ortiz informed the station that upon returning from the gym, he discovered the vehicle positioned in front of his mailbox, with emergency crews present on his lawn. They said the postman passed out,” he stated. “They shouldn’t be working in this heat.”
“It is extremely hot in the Texas area. There is no excuse for this. They are really out of control. My question is how many people have to die before they realize that the heat is too much or for them to even care about showing some compassion for people and treating us like human beings instead of dogs?” a Texas worker told WSWS.
Authorities have yet to establish the official cause of death or the moment Thakkar lost consciousness during the approximately 100 minutes his vehicle was stationary.
The vehicle seems to be one of the older Grumman Long Life Vehicles, commonly referred to as LLVs, which lack air conditioning. It is common for workers to document temperatures exceeding 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) within these vehicles.
Thakkar is the third postal carrier in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to pass away on his route due to extreme heat in a span of just over three years.
