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Indian-origin USPS worker dies delivering mail in Texas heat
OSHA has launched an investigation into the postal carrier's death during triple-digit temperatures
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 28, Jul 2026
- 14:41 EDT
- 37
Representative image / Pexels
Indian-origin U.S. Postal Service employee Umeshkumar Thakkar died while delivering mail in Little Elm, Texas, during triple-digit temperatures.
According to local reports, Thakkar, 58, collapsed on his delivery route on July 20 as North Texas remained under a heat advisory, with temperatures reaching 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
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An Aubrey resident, he had worked as a rural part-time flexible carrier with the U.S. Postal Service since 2022.
He was found unresponsive near Thornhill Lane and Graystone Drive after his postal vehicle remained parked with its hazard lights flashing for about 100 minutes, according to surveillance footage.
A 911 call was received at approximately 2 p.m. Firefighters performed CPR, but Thakkar was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not determined the official cause of death or confirmed whether the extreme heat contributed to it.
Family members, friends and coworkers gathered on July 23 afternoon to pay their final respects during his funeral service.
The incident occurred during an intense heat wave in North Texas. Temperatures reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit on July 20 and climbed as high as 108 degrees Fahrenheit over the following two days.
The vehicle Thakkar was driving appeared to be one of the U.S. Postal Service's older Grumman Long Life Vehicles (LLVs), which do not have air conditioning. Postal workers have previously reported interior temperatures exceeding 120 degrees Fahrenheit inside the vehicles during extreme heat.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has opened an investigation into Thakkar's death. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the agency has up to six months to complete its inquiry.
Investigators may inspect workplace conditions, review injury and illness records, interview employees, and determine whether any workplace safety violations occurred. If violations are found, OSHA may issue citations and propose penalties.
The U.S. Postal Service is also conducting an internal review and said it is providing grief counseling to employees at the Little Elm Post Office following Thakkar's death.
Thakkar is the third postal carrier reported to have died while on a delivery route in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in just over three years, drawing renewed attention to the risks faced by outdoor workers during periods of extreme heat.
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