A 56-year-old letter carrier has died, two days after falling on ice while delivering mail in East Vancouver, his union said Friday.

Bob Jones was injured Tuesday when he slipped on an icy commercial driveway. He didn't seek immediate medical attention, but was hospitalized later and died Thursday night.

A postal worker makes his way down an icy sidewalk in Vancouver earlier this week.
(CBC)

There's no official word on the cause of death.

Ken Mooney, president of the Vancouver local of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said officials expect to know more about the tragedy by early next week, adding that the death has cast a pall over the man's postal depot.

"I can tell you he is a very popular employee in his depot. He has grandchildren, and he had announced his retirement for April 27 of this year. This is a heartbreaker."

Mooney also said that letter carriers are so committed to delivering the mail they sometimes forget about the need to be safe first.

He noted that letter carriers have the right not to deliver mail if they consider walkways or steps to be unsafe: "In fact, we encourage that. We don't want anyone to put themselves in harm's way.They have that right under the Canada Labour Code and in our collective agreement."

It's not known what kind of footwear the letter carrier was wearing at the time of his fall, though he was said to like hiking boots in snowy weather.

The death serves as a reminder to homeowners and businesses that they have a responsibility to keep their steps and sidewalks cleared and salted, Mooney said.