Tampabay: Hours after 200 stings, boy dies

AMPA -- The death of a 2-year-old boy stung hundreds of times by a swarm of yellow jackets is being investigated by authorities who want to know why paramedics weren't called for seven hours.

Facts about yellow jackets

Yellow jackets are highly aggressive at guarding their underground nests. They will attack any motion or loud noise perceived as a threat. They are capable of stinging repeatedly, and when the venom is released, it releases a chemical that signals other wasps. The venom can cause respiratory and cardiac problems. [Times photo: Mike Pease]

Sources: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, University of Florida, Jonathan Simkins

Harrison Johnson, who turned 2 in June, disturbed an underground nest about 5 p.m. Monday near a mobile home where his family was visiting in Town N' Country.

Although his body was covered with stings, his parents put him to bed and didn't call 911 until after midnight, when he stopped breathing.

Paramedics said the child appeared lifeless when they arrived at the home. He was pronounced dead early Tuesday morning at St. Joseph's Hospital.

The child's parents, 35-year-old Kelly Johnson and 36-year-old Wylie Johnson of Melbourne, have refused to cooperate with investigators, telling deputies at the hospital that their lawyer had advised them not to talk.

"We're trying to find out what happened between 5 o'clock when this happened and 12:29 a.m. when EMS got the call," sheriff's spokeswoman Lisa Haber said.

Harrison was playing alone in the back yard of a friend's home, at 9569 Redrun Court in the Countryside Mobile Home Park, when he stumbled onto the yellow jacket's nest. He was stung 50 to 75 times on the face and head and 100 to 150 times on his body, said sheriff's Lt. Greg Brown.

Two-year-old Harrison Johnson was stung hundreds of times.

The boy's parents were sitting on the back porch of the home, said neighbor Pat Dunsmore. They took him inside and put him in a bathtub with water.

In a 911 call made hours later from the home, owned by Nicole and Glen Van De Veere, Harrison's father calmly told a dispatcher his son had stopped breathing and was receiving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

"He had some bee stings . . . but he seemed to be all right," his father said. "I got some, too."

He also told the dispatcher that Harrison had been thirsty before falling asleep earlier in the evening but that he appeared fine until he stopped breathing. He told the dispatcher Harrison's heart appeared to be beating and his body was still warm, although he couldn't find a pulse.

Mark Lieberstein, a paramedic who responded to the 911 call, said he found the scene surreal, like something out of a movie.

"The boy looked like he had purple dots all over him, the size of a pencil eraser, way too many to count," Lieberstein said. The child had no pulse and was not breathing, he said, but he exhibited no signs of swelling, common in an allergic reaction.

"I've been in this field for 20 years and I've never seen an unemotional family, especially when they had asked several times if the child had a pulse and were told "no.' "

When he asked why a doctor had not been called, Lieberstein said, the parents did not reply.

"I've never experienced an individual with this many stings or bites who had not received medical attention," Lieberstein said.

The first rescue person to arrive, Town 'N Country volunteer firefighter Dustin Seabolt, said the parents told him they had not sought help because Harrison appeared to be fine.

Dunsmore, a neighbor of the Van De Veeres, the couple who own the home where the child was playing, said the Van De Veeres told her the boy did not appear to be seriously hurt.

"After he calmed down crying, he appeared to be fine," Dunsmore said. "I think it was just an absolute freak thing that happened. A one-in-a-million thing," she said.

The Johnsons are responsible people who cared deeply for their only child, she said: "(They) are nice people. They love him to death."

Jonathan Simkins, an entomologist who owns Insect I.Q., a Tampa pest control company, donned coveralls, a respirator and head gear to remove the 1-foot-by-1-foot nest Tuesday.

Typically, when someone dies from bee stings, it's because of an allergic reaction, said Craig Kalik, an allergist and immunologist with Florida Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Allergic reactions set in immediately, he said. The reaction in a non-allergic person to multiple stings is much slower to take effect, he said.

"The toxic effect can cause respiratory and cardiac problems," Kalik said, that can usually be helped with medical care."

Not much research has been done on the issue, Kalik said. It was unknown Tuesday whether the delay in seeking medical care might have contributed to the death.

Eight years ago near Lakeland, a 10-year-old with muscular dystrophy died from multiple stings when his wheelchair became lodged in a nest behind his home. Stung countless times, the boy was flown to a hospital immediately after his rescue but died hours later.

"I warn you guys, if one comes, the rest are coming," he said. "If that happens -- run."

Hours after 200 stings, boy dies

Two-year-old Harrison Johnson was stung hundreds of times by yellow jackets about 5 p.m. Monday. Officials ask why help wasn't sought until after midnight.