By Matt Smith
The Cleburne Times-Review
CLEBURNE, Texas — An 83-year-old Cleburne man attacked by bees on Monday remains in critical condition at Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital, a spokeswoman for the hospital said Tuesday.
Kenneth Dumas was attacked in his backyard in the 1100 block of West Chambers Street while mowing his lawn, firefighters said. The attack happened at about 5 p.m.
“Last I heard he was still in intensive care,” said Eric Dumas, a relative of Dumas’. “He’s swollen up pretty bad, but I hear his vitals are getting back to normal. It will take some time but we’re hoping he will come out OK.”
Two firefighters received several stings during the rescue but were not seriously injured, Cleburne Fire Chief Clint Ishmael said. Two CareFlite ambulance crew members were not so lucky and received multiple bee stings when they arrived on scene.
Both crew members received 20-30 stings a piece, said Mark Kessler, CareFlite director of ground operations. Both were treated and released at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Cleburne and were doing much better on Tuesday, Kessler said.
Firefighters located the beehives in Dumas’ backyard along his back fence. Firefighters used foam to attack and kill the bees then pulled apart and foamed the beehive. Firefighters also used foam to spray bees swarming around Dumas and the interior of the ambulance. Rescue workers warned area residents to stay inside their homes for the duration of the incident.
Copyright 2009