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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — An 89-year-old Utah man says he feels lucky to be alive after being stung nearly 400 times during a bee attack at a baseball game.
Jay Francis of Bountiful said he's now doing better at home after being rushed to the hospital for treatment Friday in St. George.
"First it was one, then two, then three. Then they were everywhere," he told the Deseret News newspaper of Salt Lake City (http://bit.ly/1FZvqfF ). "It was just horrible. My head started aching. I can't believe how sensitive it was."
His son, Kevin, ran to help after seeing his father being attacked.
"His face was just covered in bees. You saw his eyes and his mouth ... It was like a bee swarm out of Alfred Hitchcock movie," the son said. Both he and his mother were each stung a few dozen times.
The attack prompted players and spectators to flee, witnesses said, and the bees continued stinging people for nearly 15 minutes until firefighters arrived.
"There were people running everywhere, swatting at bees. It was very chaotic," Fire Capt. Robert Hooper told the Deseret News. "Since they were being so aggressive, we used water and foam to destroy those aggressive bees."
Several other people were treated for stings at the scene.
Lone Peak High School baseball coach Matt Bezzant has said the bees came from a dugout and players were chased by dozens of bees.
Jay Francis, whose head became swollen, said his doctors told him he was lucky to be alive not only because of how many times he was stung, but because of his age.
He joked that his wife has always called him sweet but he "must have been extra sweet because (the bees) just wouldn't leave me alone."
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Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com
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