Nationwide — Jacob Taylor, a 51-year-old African American USPS mail carrier from Dallas, Texas, recently collapsed on the job while delivering mail and later died at a hospital. His sudden death has renewed concerns about safety risks faced by postal workers daily, including extreme heat and other hazards.
Taylor was on duty in the Dallas Medical District last Saturday when he suddenly collapsed. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died. According to Fox 4 News, the temperature that day reached 94 degrees, but it remains unclear if heat played a role. His cause of death is still pending an autopsy.
Taylor had worked for the USPS for 28 years. He was filling in for a co-worker at the time of the incident. The USPS is currently investigating the matter but has not released additional details.
His death was mentioned during a congressional hearing on postal worker safety held earlier this week. National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) President Brian Renfroe called it a “heartbreaking loss. It serves once again as another jarring reminder. Of the on-the-job hazards that letter carriers face every day, such as crime, assaults, extreme heat, and dealing with problems with infrastructure, such as outdated postal vehicles and other factors.”
Kimetra Lewis, the local NALC branch president, said she did not know Taylor personally but had to break the news to his station on Monday. She added that many workers are still shaken from the death of another carrier, Eugene Gates, who died from heat exhaustion in 2022.
“When tragedies happen, you don’t expect them to repeat themselves,” she said.