Fort Bend Co. construction worker dies after collapsing at job site in extreme heat, officials say

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston region's first heat-related death was reported after a construction worker collapsed at a job site in Fort Bend County and later died from hyperthermia, according to Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office.

The medical examiner's office told Eyewitness News that 46-year-old Felipe Pascual died on June 16 at Memorial Hermann Hospital Pearland.

Deputies say Pascual was pouring concrete at Sienna Parkway and Waters Lake Boulevard in Missouri City when he collapsed due to the extreme heat.

He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead in the emergency room.

The medical examiner's office released Pascual's cause of death this week, confirming he died from hyperthermia. Officials said Pascual didn't have any underlying health issues.

At least 13 people have died from heat-related illness in Texas, The Associated Press reported.

Ten deaths due to heat illness were reported in Webb County in the past two weeks, Texas officials told ABC News, as the Southern U.S. grapples with a weeks-long heat wave and triple-digit temperatures.

Emergency room visits in Texas between June 18 and June 24 have spiked compared to the same time last year as the state battles an early onset of extreme heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The region averaged 837 heat-related visits per 100,000 ER visits compared to 639 visits per 100,000 emergency department visits during the same period in 2022, CDC data shows.