A local United Parcel Service worker died this week after collapsing on his delivery route days earlier.
UPS reported that 57-year-old driver Christopher Begley died four days after falling ill during his shift on August 23, according to WFAA.
Dave Reeves, president and principal officer of local Teamsters 767 of Forest Hill, the union that represents UPS workers, said that Begley had been delivering a package to a business in Farmersville when he collapsed on the floor of the business. The workers at the business tended to Begley until a UPS supervisor arrived.
The supervisor checked to ensure that Begley had water and was resting in a cool area. A UPS spokesperson told WFAA that Begley declined medical attention multiple times, and the supervisor subsequently drove Begley home, leaving the UPS delivery truck behind.
Following the incident, Begley requested and was granted a few days off. UPS later received word that Begley was hospitalized on August 27 and died shortly thereafter.
Although Begley’s cause of death has not yet been determined, Reeves said he believes it was heat-related. The temperature on the day Begley collapsed reached as high as 101 degrees, with a heat index of 108, WFAA reported.
Reeves questioned why Begley’s supervisor did not immediately take the employee to the hospital. He said that if Begley was not able to comprehend the seriousness of the situation, then his supervisor should not have taken him home.
UPS delivery trucks do not presently have air conditioning systems. The delivery service giant only recently entered an agreement with the Teamsters Union to install air conditioning systems inside these delivery trucks beginning in 2024, according to NPR.
“We are saddened by the loss of our driver, Christopher Begley, and extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. We are cooperating with the authorities as they continue investigating the cause of death,” said UPS in a statement published by WFAA.
The company deferred questions about Begley’s death to local authorities while the investigation into the incident continues.
Begley, a married father of two, began his career as a driver with UPS in 1995. Reeves said that Begley was looking forward to retirement after working for the company for 28 years.
“UPS needs to do a thorough investigation to provide his family some answers as to what happened on his final day with the company,” he said, according to WFAA.
