UPS driver crashes in North Texas due to heat exhaustion – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The transportation company United Parcel Services (UPS) is investigating after union members alleged that a delivery driver in North Texas passed out behind the wheel and crashed due to heat exhaustion.

On Saturday, August 17, union representatives from Teamsters Local 767 shared images and a video on social media claiming an employee who works in Longview was sent to a UPS location in McKinney to drive on Friday.

The incident happened on Highway 121 north of McKinney. The union further wrote that the driver began experiencing “heat-related” symptoms and called for help, but was told to drive back to the McKinney facility.

“The company has again failed to adhere to its own charging guidelines and asked the driver to drive themselves,” the statement continued. “This is unacceptable.”

Henry Huynh, who witnessed and filmed the accident, told NBC 5 that the UPS driver was visibly unconscious behind the wheel.

“As he swerved, he went over the median and into oncoming traffic,” Huynh said. “And then all of a sudden, boom, he hit the tree.”

In Huynh's video, which the union posted to Facebook, a UPS delivery truck was seen driving at high speed on the other side of the road, narrowly missing another vehicle and then crashing into trees.

According to Teamsters Local 767, the driver was taken to the hospital after the crash but was released Saturday.

“The company continues to place packages on people,” the Teamsters Union said online. “This is the third incident in the McKinney building alone.”

NBC 5 reached out to UPS about the incident and company representatives responded Sunday with the following:

“We are aware of an incident involving our driver in McKinney, TX. We care deeply about his safety and well-being. We are working with the authorities to investigate and submit questions to them.“

The disheartening situation comes less than a year after another UPS worker from McKinney died of heat stress after losing consciousness while delivering packages on his route. Friday’s crash was a shock to another McKinney family.

“My heart stopped because I can't believe this is happening again,” said Neysa Lambert.

In August 2023, Neysa Lambeth's husband passed away, Chris Begleywas driving for UPS from McKinney Hospital when he passed out from the heat.

Lambeth said she was out of town, and instead of calling 911 or taking Begley to the hospital, another UPS worker drove Begley to his empty home. He died four days later.

Begley Family

“He had no idea what was going on; he was very confused and no one sent him to the hospital,” Lambeth said. “I don't understand that. I will never understand that.”

OSHA has fined the UPS facility in McKinney more than $62,000 for Begley's death, determining that Begley died from heat stress he suffered while delivering packages.

“When no medical facility was available to treat injured workers… the employer did not have a person or persons trained to understand and provide first aid or to ensure that other medical treatments were available,” the OSHA report on the incident said.

Nearly a year after his death, Begley's family said Friday's incident showed that the UPS center in McKinney still hadn't done enough to protect drivers from the heat.

“They're letting their drivers drive themselves in after a heatwave? That's insane, I think,” Lambeth said. “I don't know how they're going to fix it, but they've got to fix it because people are dying.”

NBC 5 also reached out to UPS regarding Begley's family's concerns about the UPS facility in McKinney, and the company is working on a response. However, they did send an additional statement regarding their heat safety protocols that are in effect nationwide.

“The health and safety of our team members is important to us and we strive to provide a safe work environment for our employees. We have extensive training and protocols in place to support our employees and are continually working to improve these measures. We invest more than $409 million annually in safety training in the U.S. and have added more refrigeration equipment to our vehicles and facilities. We provide employees with specialized refrigeration equipment, access to ice and water, and encourage our people to take extra time to cool down when they need it.”

Local authorities have not yet confirmed whether they are investigating the accident and have not released any details about the incident.

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