DALLAS — A Dallas USPS mail worker died from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and hyperthermia back in June, according to an autopsy report released by the Dallas County Medical Examiner.
Eugene Gates, 66, died on June 20 while delivering mail on his route in Lakewood during the sweltering Texas summer heat. The heat index was above 110 degrees that day. His death sparked conversations about the working conditions of USPS letter carriers.
He had been with USPS since November 1987.
Gates' official cause of death remained unknown until the release of the autopsy report, although union officials always suspected his death was heat-related. Hyperthermia is described as having an abnormally high body temperature. The medical examiner listed the following points for the hyperthermia diagnosis in the report:
- History that [Gates] experienced a witnessed collapse while working outdoors on the afternoon of June 20, 2023
- [Gates] was transported to a hospital where his rectal temperature was reportedly 104.6 degrees Fahrenheit
- Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessfully and he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival
- The outdoor temperature for Dallas on the afternoon of June 20, 2023 was approximately 97 degrees
The autopsy report also ruled hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the findings because:
- Cardiomegaly (510g)
- Mild arterionephrosclerosis
- Moderate atherosclerosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery
- Myocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis on microscopic sections of the heart
Gates was laid to rest in Dallas back in July. After Gates died, start times for mail carriers were moved from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., even though Gates' wife told WFAA that's not enough during the extreme heat of Texas summers. She said it's already hot by that time. She remembers when her husband started his shift at 6:00 a.m., and believes that would be a better solution for letter carriers.
"Not just for the postal service, for anyone that is working out in this hot Texas weather outside, that's a death trap," Carla Gates said.
The USPS said in a statement that they have no further information.
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