‘I am broken hearted’: Husband mourning loss of wife who died after falling in garden in over 90-degree heat

BOLTON, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) - An 83-year-old woman in Mississippi died after she and her husband fell in the hot sun.

Martha Irene Van Egmond died after temperatures reached the 90s on Saturday. According to meteorologists, surface temperatures on cement reached approximately 125 degrees.

Her husband, Rick Van Egmond, stated on Facebook that she fell in a flowerbed, and that he fell trying to get her up.

The couple lay in the sun for more than three hours, unable to get up.

Rick Van Egmond said two men from the apartments behind their home came to help, but it was too late.

Rick Van Egmond said his wife was a devoted woman who collected toys, gardened and shared her faith.

“I want her to be remembered as a loving, caring, Christian lady. She expressed Jesus wherever she was... people could see Jesus in her,” Rick Van Egmond said.

He also cautioned that even those who feel comfortable in the heat can be at risk.

“The heat will kill you. The sun is hot. It’s hotter than you think it is. We had been swimming, so our bodies had gotten cool, so we were comfortable outside. But that’ll fool you, too. That’s a trick,” he said.

Rick Van Egmond said sharing his wife’s story is what is keeping him going.

“I miss her more than anybody will ever know. But she’s with Jesus Christ in heaven. And I’ve got a promise that I’m going to see her again,” he said.

Heat exhaustion can cause dizziness, weakness and nausea. Left untreated, it can escalate to heat stroke and loss of consciousness.

Officials recommend calling 911 at the first sign of any symptoms. Older adults are among the most vulnerable to extreme heat.