A 58-year-old man who was delivering mail in Little Elm, Texas, collapsed during his shift and died on July 20. Umeshkumar Thakkar was found unresponsive in his truck and was pronounced dead. The death triggered an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as there was a heat advisory on that day in North Texas. It is not yet confirmed whether Thakkar's death was due to the heat. Triple-digit temperatures were recorded across Dallas-Fort Worth on that day.
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Surveillance footage near the corner of Thornhill Lane and Graystone Drive in Little Elm showed Thakkar's USPS truck at around 12.20 pm. Around 2 p.m., Little Elm Fire received a 911 call about Thakkar, who had passed out in his truck and was unresponsive. Officials administered CPR, but Thakkar was pronounced dead.
Thakkar has been working part-time with the USPS as a rural carrier since 2022. "On behalf of NRLCA’s 130,000 members nationwide, we extend our deepest condolences to Umeshkumar’s family, friends, and co-workers during this difficult time," the National Rural Letter Carriers Association said. President Kimetra Lewis said the association advocates for better conditions for all postal workers. "If this doesn’t alert the Postal Service, it alerts the public, and they will rally together in our defense."
In 2023, USPS was fined after 66-year-old Eugene Gates collapsed during his Dallas postal route and later died at the hospital. In 2025, USPS union members testified in front of Congress about heat concerns after 51-year-old Jacob Taylor died after collapsing on his Dallas postal route, Fox News reported.
