Α 46-year-old man from Halkida has suffered a heatstroke and died after he was making deliveries for a local tavern at the peak of the heat, He is possibly the first victim of the heatwave that hits Greece since last week.
The victim of a heatstroke was admitted to Halkida General Hospital-at 16¨55 p.m. on Thursday, July 20, 2023. Ηe was admitted with no pulse and breathing and had mydriasis amphos.
He had returned home, when he complained of dizziness, fever and strong headache. As the symptoms worsened, his family called an ambulance that came quickly,
Doctors tried to resuscitate him, performed CPR and intubated him. However, he suffered multiple brain-strokes and died 35 minutes after his admission to the hospital, the hospital said in an announcement.
According to the hospital management, the probable cause of death was “cardio-respiratory arrest after exposure to very high temperatures.”
The man had not a steady job but did errant and deliveries for shopkeepers and taverns in the area with his bicycle.
Apparently he worked as delivery boy for a suvlaki grill early afternoon Thursday with prevailing temperatures at 38-39 degrees Celsius in the shade.
Both his parents and the owner of a specific grill denied to local media that he worked as a delivery boy.
However, police arrested the tavern owner early afternoon Friday and some source told media that the victim had several underlying health issues..
According to police sources, the heatstroke victim worked without registration and insurance and he would do deliveries in the hours when it is forbidden due to the heatwave.
After his deposition to authorities, the grill owner was set free with a decision of the prosecutor, state broadcaster ERT reported later.
Labor inspections will investigate the man’s work relation with the specific grill.
The exact causes of the man’s death are to be determined in an autopsy.
PS No matter what the law says about deliveries during the peak of the heat, unusually from 12 noon until 5-6p.m., delivery platforms work as usual and small businesses too.
