For Texas Workers, Exposure To Heat Can Be Deadly

KERA | By Stella M. Chávez

Published September 8, 2021 at 4:34 PM CDT

Fence at gateway park with tree in the foreground. — These soccer fields in Fort Worth’s Gateway Park are where Karl Simmons was working when he collapsed in July 2018.

Across Texas, workers who spend their days toiling in the heat are dying. Many of those deaths could have been prevented.

Columbia Journalism Investigations, NPR and The Texas Newsroom obtained and analyzed thousands of pages of public and court records, and found that dozens of workers have died in Texas over the past decade. In the first of this 7-part series, you'll hear the story of a North Texas construction worker. A warning: this report contains sensitive audio that may be upsetting for some listeners.

Tags

Stella M. Chávez

Stella M. Chávez is KERA’s immigration/demographics reporter/blogger. Her journalism roots run deep: She spent a decade and a half in newspapers – including seven years at The Dallas Morning News, where she covered education and won the Livingston Award for National Reporting, which is given annually to the best journalists across the country under age 35.

See stories by Stella M. Chávez

The best stories from KERA sent to your inbox.