A 66-year-old Texas man, Steven Daniels, tragically lost his life after being swarmed by tens of thousands of bees while he mowed his lawn. Reportedly, Daniels attempted to escape by driving his vehicle, but the bees followed him, causing him to crash.
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According to an Eastland Police Department release shared with multiple outlets, including Eastland County Today, the incident took place on April 27. At around 4:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to North Lamar Street after reports of a vehicle crash.
“I saw a truck right beside the neighborhood. Next thing you know, I look down and I hear a loud boom and he’s in my parents’ front yard,” neighbor Chrishae Cooper told KTXS. “He was trying to still escape from the bees, because he started driving away and he made it onto the street [as] the police finally showed up.”
Upon arrival, officers observed the vehicle’s driver, Daniels, being swarmed by bees. The officers managed to evacuate him from his vehicle. They moved him to a safe distance from the bees and placed him inside a police car. An ambulance was called after Daniels stopped breathing and became unresponsive.
After administering life-saving measures, Daniels was rushed to Eastland Memorial Hospital. Shortly after, however, Steven Daniels succumbed to the effects of the thousands of bee stings he suffered.
As per the police, a beekeeper tracked down the origin of the beehive. A beehive was eventually discovered in an abandoned structure close to where Daniels had been mowing his lawn.
Wife Remembers Husband
Cyd Daniels, Steven’s wife, spoke with KTAB News, saying that her husband’s death “happened for a reason.”
“I believe this happened for a reason, and I think it’s to warn the rest of us,” Cyd said. “If it helps one person or one kid then he helped, he made a difference.”
Cyd would then talk lovingly about Steven, saying that he was a “funny guy,” albeit real quiet. “He was a hard worker but he believed in safety first,” she added.
A Sadie Grace Farms beekeeper, Crissy Ward, spoke with KTAB and shared some tips on how to identify if there is a beehive nearby.
“Watch for that flight activity,” Ward said. “If you see bees going in and out, kinda making somewhat of a figure eight pattern from any hole or space around your house and your property, that’s a pretty good indication you have a bee hive.”
As per KTAB, Daniels was swarmed by 22 to 30 thousand bees.