‘Whole body was burning’: Tempe bee attack victim recounts terrifying ordeal

VIDEO: We’re learning more about a bee attack on July 17 in Tempe. The fire department reported at least four people went to the hospital, each stung up to 15 times. But a victim just released from the hospital says it was much worse than that. What started as an ordinary walk to a Tempe Dollar Tree near Baseline and Kyrene roads for Joseph Ramirez and his family turned terrifying.

“It was just a regular day. We went to the store to get some snacks, and we took our dog for a walk,” Joseph Ramirez said. “I remember seeing a couple bees, and I didn’t think nothing of it.” Things quickly turned into a horror movie. “As I’m turning around, I guess I hit the bees. I get swarmed by over 50 bees, and I’m trying to breathe because they’re all over my face. I swallowed one, actually,” Ramirez said. Ramirez, who uses a wheelchair, was covered in bees.

“Iโ€™m very vulnerable in that moment. I couldnโ€™t even help myself,” he said. “I don’t even know how to get them off me because I’m trying to โ€ฆ Iโ€™m throwing them, but they just keep coming right back.”His daughters, Julie and Vali, were his main concern. “My daughters were actually running across the street. So I’m in the moment trying to make sure they’re not getting hit by a car because it’s a crazy intersection,” he said.

KSAZ-TV FOX 10 Phoenix

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