Due to the extreme temperatures in Spain a road sweeper has sadly died of heat stroke in Madrid, aged 60.
Following José Antonio González dying on a street in Vallecas at 5pm while working, his son said: “It is inhumane to work at 42 degrees, without shade and with those clothes”.
His death occurred having changed his working pattern with a colleague, from 7am until 2pm, to 2pm-10pm.
After lunch he put on his green polyester janitor’s uniform.
Two hours later, despite taking two, 2-litre bottles of water from home and a homemade sprayer to spray his face every few minutes, he died.
The emergency services arrived after being alerted by a neighbour who saw him collapse on Calle de Vallecas, which he was sweeping day after day.
His body temperature exceeded 41 degrees. A heat stroke left him unconscious. Later, he sadly died in hospital after a heart attack.
He leaves his wife, Mari Ángeles, and two children, Miguel and Laura.
His son, Miguel, posted on Twitter: “The best father I could have had is gone, I will always carry with me the example of my father, a great person, a hard worker until death.
“Rest assured that yours will always have you with us and I know that, wherever you are, you will give us that strength that you transmitted in life.
“Everyone must take responsibility. The City Council has to do more, beyond excuses, we must not blame only the company. No one else has to live what we are living.” It was reported he had a one month contract. On July 19 unions and the company were summoned to try to improve conditions.
Miguel said: “My father told me that it was difficult for him to talk about the heat he had on him.
“I think that working at 42 degrees, without shade and with those clothes is immoral. It must not happen. We all know that this can be avoided, but until something like this happens, they don’t realise it. “I’m convinced that he didn’t stop cleaning that street until he passed out. He would think that they were not going to renew him (a contract) and he was giving everything to prove that he was worth it.
“This, to me, is inhumane. This should make us all think. They are not conditions. And my father has lived through it.”
Having turned on his father’s computer a very recent search was found in Google’s history. It said: “What to do in case of heat stroke”.
