A Yazoo City man apparently died from complications due to the heat after his air conditioning unit failed this week.
William E. Bryant, 56, was found dead in his home at 411 East Fifth Street on Thursday just after 2 p.m.
Bryant had an air conditioner, but it did not appear to be cooling the room where he was located.
Yazoo County Coroner Ricky Shivers said that Bryant had a history of medical problems, which would make him more vulnerable to extreme heat.
“Hyperthermia can affect anyone, but people with medical problems and the elderly are very susceptible to heat-related illness and death,” Shivers said.
Shivers said he urges friends and family members of older people or those with medical issues to check on the frequently during this time of year when the heat index often rise above 100 degrees.
This week marks the second heat-related death recorded in Yazoo County this summer.
Louis Lee Anderson, 63, died on June 11 in his carport after working on a fence on Highway 432 near Pickens.
Shivers said Anderson left his home around 5 p.m. Sunday to work on a fence on his family’s land. Around 7:30 p.m. Anderson’s 90-year-old mother saw him lying on the concrete under a carport.
“His brother then began to perform CPR on him immediately,” Shivers said. “About five minutes later, his sister-in-law, who is a registered nurse, also began performing CPR on him until an ambulance arrived at the home.”
Medical personnel continued to work on Anderson, who was unable to be revived. Shivers said he was pronounced dead at the scene.
“CPR was performed on him for over an hour,” Shivers said. “When I got to him, he still very hot to the touch and very sweaty. He had an extensive medical history as well. His death was ruled accidental due to the heat.”
