A UPS driver crashed into a tree in McKinney. The union representing drivers says the heat was to blame. Now that the driver is recovering, it’s looking for answers and will meet with UPS management. NBC 5’s David Goins has the update.
The labor union representing package drivers in North Texas says it will meet with UPS management this week after alleging that a driver crashed due to heat exhaustion.
Union representatives from Teamsters Local 767 shared images and a video on social media Saturday, claiming a Longview employee was sent to a UPS facility in McKinney to drive on Friday.
The crash happened on Texas Highway 121 north of McKinney. The union further wrote that the driver had started experiencing "heat-related" symptoms and called in for help but was told to drive back to the McKinney facility.
Dave Reeves, president of Local 767, told NBC 5 on Monday that several unanswered questions remained after the accident.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
"Why was he able to continue to drive the package car," Reeves asked. "There are certain heat related injuries that can be prevented."
There are steps in there, in my opinion, in the event they were followed correctly we would be looking at a different outcome right now.”
Henry Huynh, who witnessed and recorded the crash, told NBC 5 that the UPS driver was visibly unconscious at the wheel.
“When he swerved, he went over the grass median and went onto oncoming traffic,” said Huynh. “And then all of a sudden boom, he hits the tree.”
Huynh's video, which the labor union posted on Facebook, showed a UPS delivery truck speeding on the opposite side of the road and barely missing another vehicle before plowing into trees.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
According to Teamsters Local 767, the driver was sent to the hospital following the crash and released on Saturday.
"The company continues to place packages over people," the Teamsters Union said online. "This is unacceptable. This is the third incident in the McKinney building alone."
NBC 5 reached out to UPS regarding the incident, and representatives from the company responded on 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 authorities to investigate and defer to them for questions."
Friday's crash came as a shock to another McKinney family who said heat stress took the life of one of their family members who also worked for UPS.
“My heart just stopped because I cannot believe that it’s happening again,” said Neysa Lambert.
In August 2023, Neysa Lambeth’s husband, Chris Begley, was driving for UPS out of the McKinney facility 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 employee drove Begley to his empty home. He died four days later.
“He had no idea what was going on; he was very confused, and nobody sent him to the hospital,” said Lambeth. “I don’t understand that. I will never understand that.”
OSHA fined the McKinney UPS facility more than $62,000 for Begley’s death, finding that Begley died from heat stress sustained while delivering parcels.
“When a medical facility for treatment of injured employees was not available … the employer did not have a person or persons trained to understand and render first aid treatment or ensure other medical treatment was available,” the OSHA report on the incident found.
Nearly a year after his death, Begley’s family said Friday’s incident showed the McKinney UPS center still hadn’t done enough to keep drivers safe from the heat.
“They’re having their drivers drive themselves in after a heat event? That’s insane, in my opinion,” said Lambeth. “I don’t know how they can fix it, but they need to fix it because people are dying.”
NBC 5 also contacted UPS about Begley’s family’s concerns about the McKinney UPS facility, and the company is working on an answer. However, they sent an additional statement about their heat safety protocols that are in place nationwide.
“The health and safety of our team members is important to us, and we are committed to providing a safe working environment for our employees. We have comprehensive training and protocols to support our employees and continuously work to improve these measures. We invest more than $409 million annually on safety training in the US and have added more cooling equipment to our vehicles and facilities. We provide employees with specialized cooling gear, access to ice and water, and encourage our people to take extra time to cool-down anytime they need.”
Local authorities have not yet confirmed whether they are investigating the crash and have not revealed any details about the incident.
