WASHINGTON – It’s been six months since the death of Dallas mail carrier Eugene Gates Jr., who collapsed on the job during a heat wave, but his widow Carla Gates still can’t bear to part with his clothes or change anything around their house.
“It’s devastating to lose your loved one that way,” she said. “Your life will never be the same.”
An autopsy found that Gates, 66, died from the heat and heart disease. His death and other heat-related incidents continue to raise questions about how the U.S. Postal Service handles worker safety during extreme heat events.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and fellow Democrats on the House Oversight Committee wrote Tuesday to their chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., urging him to convene a hearing on the topic.