Medford, Mass. Postal Worker Collapsed in Heat, Died

(NECN: John Monahan, Medford, Mass.) - Medford, Mass. postal worker James Baldassarre, 45, died Saturday after being rushed to the hospital Friday afternoon. He was found on the ground in Meford Square.

The flag outside the post office is at half-staff in his memory after he died on Saturday.

"How much can you cry? You've just got to be strong and take one hour at a time," said wife Cathy Baldassarre.

Cathy is coping as well as she can after suddenly losing her best friend and husband of just 18 months on Saturday.

James, a letter-carrier, was delivering on Riverside Avenue Friday during the height of the heat wave, when temperatures were in the low 90s with very high humidity.

"It was always a concern for me that something would happen to him out there," said Cathy. "It's way too hot for him.

The husband and wife sent texts to each other all day, some from him jokingly saying that it was so hot, he might die.

At 5:40 p.m., James was found collapsed along his route outside 99 Riverside Avenue. His body temperature was 110 degrees. He was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he died Saturday.

Cathy says the loss still hasn't sunk in.

"It's gonna be rough," she said.

The exact cause of death is unclear, pending the results of an autopsy. But Cathy says that with his high body temperature, she's pretty sure the hot weather is to blame.

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