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Texas Follows A National Trend: Workers Of Color Make Up Many Of The Heat-Related Deaths

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

More than four dozen workers have died from excessive heat in Texas, according to an investigation by Columbia Journalism Investigations, NPR and The Texas Newsroom.

Many of the Texas workers who've died from heat exposure were workers of color in construction, trash collection, mining and gas extraction.

In part two of our 7-part statewide series, we continue the story of Karl Simmons, a North Texas man who died after repairing soccer fields in Fort Worth.

A warning: this story contains sensitive audio that may be upsetting for some listeners.

Stella M. Chávez is an investigative reporter for The Texas Newsroom, a collaboration between NPR and member stations around the state. She's based at KERA in Dallas and is currently reporting on how state government is working with federal agencies on immigration enforcement and border security.