On the afternoon of June 10, 2016, a city letter carrier for the United States Postal Service began to feel sick as he delivered mail on his route in Benton, Arkansas. He experienced a spinning sensation and began to stumble. He started vomiting and sweating profusely. He staggered to a van parked on the street, opened one of its doors, and collapsed on the front seat. A homeowner eventually noticed him and called 911. Emergency medical technicians arrived, provided emergency treatment for the carrier, and transported him by ambulance to a hospital.